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SPIRITUALISM.  /^^' 


JOHN  W.  EDMONDS  AND  GEORGE  T.  DEXTER,  M.D. 


But  as  it  is  written,  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things 
which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him.  Bnt  God  hath  revealed  them  unto  us  by  his  Spirit :  for  the 
Sphit  searcheth  all  things,  yea,  the  deep  things  of  God.  For  what  man  knoweth  the  things  of  a  man,  save  the 
spirit  of  man  which  is  in  him  ?  even  so  the  things  of  God  knoweth  no  man,  but  the  Spirit  of  God.  Now  we 
have  received,  not  the  sphlt  of  the  world,  but  the  Spirit  which  is  of  God  ;  that  we  might  know  the  things  tliat 
are  freely  given  to  us  of  God.  Which  things  also  we  speak,  not  in  the  words  which  man's  wisdom  tcacheth, 
but  which  the  Holy  Ghost  teacheth ;  comparing  spiritual  things  with  spiritual.— 1  Cbrinthians  li.  9-13. 


VOLUME   II.ifV     0"  ™''      

UNIVERSITY^ 
itto  fffrlt: 

PAKTKIDGE  &  BEITTAN,   PUBLISHEES, 

300    BROADWAY. 

1855. 


4 


PSiUH. 
LIBRARY 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1855,  by 
JOHN   W.   EDMONDS 

AKD 

GEOEGE   T.    DEXTER,   M.D., 

in  the  Clerk's  OflSce  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District 
of  New  York. 


^Bf^ 


NBW  TOEK  STEBEOTTPE  ASSOCIATION,  HOLMAN  AND  OBAY,   PRINTERS, 

201  William  Street  New  York. 


xduct. 


The  mode  in  which  the  papers  which  constitute  this 
volume  .were  given,  having  varied  somewhat  from  that 
mentioned  in  the  preface  to  the  First  Yolume,  it  is  in- 
cumbent on  us  to  describe  the  change. 

During  the  preparation  of  the  whole  of  that  volume  the 
Doctor  was  used  as  a  writing  medium  only.  After  its 
publication  he  was  developed  as  a  speaking  medium,  being 
thrown,  for  the  occasion,  into  a  trance  so  deep  as  to  be 
unconscious  alike  of  what  he  was  saying  and  of  what  was 
occurring  around  him.  "What  he  said  at  such  times  was 
carefully  recorded  by  the  Judge,  and  as  carefully  revised 
by  us  afterward  in  connection  with  our  unseen  friends. 
Most  of  the  communications  in  this  volume  given  through 
him  were  received  in  this  way. 

Late  in  the  year  1853  the  Judge's  daughter,  Laura,  and 
his  niece,  Jane  Keyes,  were  developed  as  mediums,  and 
were  received  as  members  of  the  circle — the  circle  from 
that  time  consisting  of  us  two,  Mr.  "Warren,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Sweet,  and  those  two  young  ladies. 

"We  had  occasional  assistance  also,  of  great  value,  from 
another  source.  In  December,  1853,  we  became  acquaint- 
ed with  Mrs.  A.  T.  Hall  and  Mrs.  Helen  Leeds,  of  Boston, 
the  former  a  medium  for  writing  by  impression,  and  the 


XVlir  PREFACE. 

latter  a  seeing  and  speaking  medium,  and  occasionally 
writing  mechanically. 

Laura  Edmonds'  medial  powers  were  very  similar  to 
those  of  Mrs.  Leeds,  the  only  difference  being,  that  when 
speaking,  seeing,  or  writing,  she  was  never  unc*onscious, 
while  Mrs.  Leeds  most  generally  was  so.  The  same  dif- 
ference was  noticeable  in  the  manifestations  through  the 
Judge  and  the  Doctor,  the  former  never  being  unconscious, 
while  the  latter  most  frequently  was. 

In  the  mean  time  Mr.  Warren  began  to  be  developed  as 
a  seeing  medium. 

And  in  all  the  circle  a  marked  improvement  in  the  ease 
and  accuracy  of  communicating  has  been  very  apparent, 
thus  holding  out  to  all  the  prospect  of  still  greater  use- 
fulness in  the  future. 

J.  W.  EDMONDS, 
GEO.  T.  DEXTER. 

New  York,  December  18,  1854. 


ntr0httti0ii 


OF    JUDGE    EDMONDS 


In  presenting  to  the  world  a  continuation  of  our  work  on  the 
great  truth  which  is  marking  the  nineteenth  century,  it  will  not  be 
amiss  for  me  to  utter  a  few  words  in  elucidation  and  explanation. 

In  a  very  early  stage  of  my  investigations,  long  before  I  was 
willing  to  receive  it  as  true  that  the  spirits  of  the  departed  could 
commune  with  us  who  yet  remained  behind,  and  when  it  seemed 
to  me  but  barely  probable,  that  they  might,  the  question  occurred. 
To  what  end  is  it  ?  what  purpose  is  there  in  view  ?  and  what 
beneficial  object  can  be  attained  by  it  ? 

The  answer  readily  suggested  itself,  that  if  it  be  true  that  they 
can  thus  commune  with  us,  they  must  be  able  to  disclose  to  us 
something  at  least  of  the  state  of  existencd^  into  which  they  had 
been  and  we  were  to  be  ushered. 

Such  disclosure  had  never  yet  been  made  to  man.  Through 
Moses  and  the  prophets  there  had  been  revealed  to  him  the  exist- 
ence of  one  God,  instead  of  the  hosts  of  deities  which  the  pagan 
world  had  worshiped.  Through  Christ  and  his  apostles,  man's 
existence  for  eternity,  and  the  rule  by  which  that  existence  could 
be  made  a  happy  one,  had  been  reveajed.  But  what  that  exist- 
ence was,  how  it  was  that  that  rule  was  to  insure  man's  happiness, 
and  what  was  to  be  his  ultimate  destiny  through  the  countless 
ages  of  eternity,  had  been  concealed  from  him.  His  future  was  a 
sealed  book,  and  the  natural  longings  of  the  heart  to  know  could 
obtain  a  response  only  from  his  own  imaginings.  Vague,  fanciful, 
contradictory,  and  material  as  these  were,  they  left  the  understand- 
ing still  to  grope  on  in  darkness,  they  left  the  desire  for  that  knowl- 
edge still  unsatisfied,  and  they  left  man  to  sink,  by  gradual  but  sure 
progress,  from  ignorance  into  infidelity. 


20  INTEODUCTION. 

I  asked  myself  why  may  not  that  now  be  revealed  ?  Surely 
nothing  could  be  more  important,  and  man  was  never  before  so 
well  prepared  for  its  reception.  We  believed,  and  it  had  been  be- 
lieved in  all  ages  and  among  all  people,  that  God  had  in  his  prov- 
idence made  to  man,  and  through  the  instrumentality  of  man,  rev- 
elations of  His  mighty  truths.  And  among  Christians,  at  least, 
this  was  believed  as  part  of  the  very  foundation  of  their  religion. 
Wherein  had  man's  nature  so  changed  in  the  process  of  time  that 
he  could  not  again  receive  of  those  truths  and  again  be  the  instru- 
ment of  conveying  them  to  the  knowledge  of  his  fellows?  I  could 
conceive  of  no  reason  why  the  humble  and  the  lowly  of  this  day 
could  not  as  well  become  such  instruments  as  the  fishermen  of 
Galilee,  nor  why  the  instructed  of  modern  times  could  not  receive 
and  impart  of  them  as  well  as  him  of  Tarsus,  of  whom  it  was  said, 
even  from  high  places,  that  much  learning  had  made  him  mad. 
As  I  have  often  had  occasion  to  remark,  I  could  see  nothing  in  na- 
ture or  revelation  to  forbid  it,  and  I  concluded  that  it  was  possible 
that  a  further  revelation  could  be  made  to  us,  that  perchance  it 
might  be  that  it  was  now  coming,  and  that  the  prayer  which  had 
ascended  for  centuries  from  the  whole  Christian  world,  "  Thy 
kingdom  come,"  might  now  be  answered. 

I  say  that  it  seemed  to  me  that  it  might  be,  and  if  it  might,  what 
was  our  duty  in  the  premises  ?  Did  it  become  us  to  say  that  it 
could  not  or  that  it  should  not  ?  that  we  would  not  receive  it  ?  or 
if  it  came  in  spite  of  ourselves,  that  we  would  not  promulgate  it? 
that  we  should  not  admit  that  it  could  be  for  good,  but  that  it  must 
of  necessity  be  for  evil  only  ?  that  we  should  condemn  without  in- 
vestigation, and  repudiate  and  denounce  without  knowledge  of  what 
it  was  or  what  it  might  teach  ?  that  we  should  be  content  with 
our  condition  of  ignorance,  and  resolve  that  a  knowledge  of  the 
future  should  find  no  entrance  to  the  chambers  of  the  under 
standing  ? 

I  did  not  so  conceive  my  duty,  nor  did  I  imagine  that  there  were 
any  who  would  oppose  all  investigation,  and  war  upon  the  reception 
of  any  further  knowledge.  And  I  may  pause  a  moment  in  passing 
to  say,  that  I  have  marveled  not  a  little  that  in  a  country  where 
freedom  of  thought  is  so  loudly  professed  there  should  have  been 
displayed  such  determined  and  virulent  hostility  even  to  an  inves- 
tigation of  what  may  be  truth.     But  let  that  pass.    My  duty  seem- 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

ed  to  be  plain,  and  that  was  to  ascertain — not  take  it  for  granted — 
but  inquire  and  ascertain  if  possible  whether  such  further  knowl- 
edge might  not  come. 

The  result  of  that  inquiry  we  are  now  in  part  giving  to  the  world. 
How  far  it  is  entitled  to  credit — to  what  extent  it  may  be  true  we  do 
not  mean  to  say.  We  give  it  as  it  has  come  to  us,  as  faithfully 
and  as  accurately  as  in  our  power,  and  we  leave  every  one  to  form 
his  own  opinion  upon  its  merits.  We  do  not  claim  to  be  authority 
for  any  thing.  We  do  not  ask  for  any  other  credit  than  that  of 
intending  fairly  and  faithfully  to  give  what  we  have  received,  as 
we  have  received  it. 

I  am  aware  that  there  are  some  things  contained  in  the  following 
papers  which  will  startle  even  confirmed  believers  in  Spiritualism. 
I  believe  so,  because  they  startled  us,  and  there  are  several  things 
which  our  first  impulse  was  to  withhold  from  insertion  in  the  book. 
They  were  so  much  in  conflict  with  all  our  preconceived  notions, 
and  with  what  we  knew  to  be  the  general  opinion  of  the  world 
around  us,  that  we  were  conscious  they  would  not  be  credited  at  first, 
but  would  be  likely  to  draw  down  upon  us  and  on  our  publication 
a  still  more  severe  storm  of  denunciation — if  that  were  possible — 
than,  we  had  yet  experienced.  But  we  were  professing  to  give  to 
the  world  the  revelations  as  they  came,  precisely  and  accurately  as 
we  received  them,  and  what  right  had  we  to  withhold  any  of  them 
because  they  did  not  square  with  our  notions,  or  because,  forsooth, 
we  might  be  subjected  to  some  personal  inconvenience  ?  No.  We 
could  not  so  deport  ourselves — we  could  not  allow  any  mere  per- 
sonal consideration  to  warp  or  color  communications,  our  relation 
to  which  was  but  that  of  the  conduit  through  which  they  might 
pass  to  minds  to  which  they  might  be  more  acceptable  even  in  the 
first  instance.  We  therefore  give  them  as  we  receive  them,  and 
withhold  nothing.     Let  each  one  judge  of  them  for  himself. 

There  are,  hovvever,  some  considerations  which  tend  to  corrob- 
orate the  revelations  made  to  us,  and  which  ought  not  to  be  over- 
looked. 

There  are  at  times  contradictions  and  inconsistencies  in  spirit- 
ual intercourse,  as  all  must  be  aware,  but  there  is  one  remarkable 
fact,  viz.,  that  amid  all  these  incongruities — through  all  mediums, 
whether  partially  or  highly  developed — from  all  the  spirits  who 
commune,  whether  progressed  or  unprogressed,  there  is  a  universal 


22  INTEODTJCTION. 

accordance  on  one  point,  and  that  is,  that  we  pass  into  the  next 
state  of  existence  just  what  we  are  in  this,  and  that  we  are  not 
suddenly  changed  into  a  state  of  perfection  or  imperfection,  but  find 
ourselves  in  a  state  of  progression,  and  that  this  life  on  earth  is  but 
a  preparation  for  the  next,  and  the  next  but  a  continuation  of  this. 
Through  all  the  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  mediums  in 
this  country  and  elsewhere,  so  far  as  I  can  know,  the  teachings  all 
agree  in  this  one  respect,  and  through  this  overwhelming  evidence 
comes  this  mighty  tnith,  hitherto  unknown  to  man  in  general  and 
only  guessed  at  by  a  few. 

If  this  is  a  truth,  it  surely  will  not  require  a  lengthened  argu- 
ment to  demonstrate  its  vast  importance.  If,  indeed,  it  only  may 
be  true,  no  profound  disquisition  will  be  necessary  to  show  that  it 
is  worthy  of  an  enlightened  investigation.  And  if  its  reality  can 
once  be  established  to  the  satisfaction  of  our  dispassionate  reason, 
it  needs  no  one  to  rise  from  the  dead  to  tell  us  that  it  is  as  novel 
as  it  is  interesting,  and  that  however  much  it  may  be  corroborated 
by  all  of  nature  around  us,  it  can  be  established  only  by  a  revela- 
tion from  on  high. 

This  fact,  at  once  new  and  momentous,  does  not,  it  will  be  seen, 
depend  on  our  testimony  alone,  but  finds  support  in  all  the  revela- 
tions of  spiritual  intercourse,  wherever  located  and  springing  from 
whatever  source  they  may. 

There  is  another  important  instance  in  which  all  the  manifesta- 
tions through  others  corroborate  those  which  we  promulgate,  and 
that  is,  in  demonstrating  that  man  does  exist  after  the  life  on  earth. 
And  this  is  proved,  not  by  abstract  reasoning,  not  by  reasoning 
from  analogy,  or  by  appealing  to  received  and  acknowledged  rev- 
elation, but  palpably,  by  addressing  the  senses.  To  all  the  senses 
this  proof  comes,  with  such  copiousness  and  such  overwhelm- 
ing power  as  to  be  utterly  irresistible  to  the  rational  mind.  To 
those  who  have  never  doubted  man's  immortality,  and  who  have 
regarded  it  as  irrational  to  question  it,  this  consideration  may  not 
be  of  much  moment.  But  to  those  who  have  questioned  it — and 
alas  !  their  number  has  been  far  greater  than  the  unthinking  world 
imagine — it  is  of  vital  consequence,  and  is  hailed  by  them  with  a 
joy  inexpressible.  I  can  not  do  better  than  give  in  this  connection 
some  extracts  from  a  few  of  the  many  letters  I  have  received  on 
that  subject. 


INTRODUCTION.  23 

,  Mich.,  March  26, 1854. 

Dear  Sir — Pardon  me  for  this  intrusion.  It  is  the  interest  which  I  have 
lately  felt  on  the  subject  of  Spiritualism  that  has  induced  me  to  address  you 
at  this  time.  A  desire  to  do  so  has  been  increasing  for  some  weeks  past,  until 
it  has  now  become  so  strong  that  I  can  no  longer  forego  the  privilege,  although 
it  may  be  considered  a  breach  of  the  rules  of  etiquet.  Although  a  personal 
stranger  to  you,  I  am  not  unacquainted  with  your  name  and  reputation,  and 
therefore  feel  less  reluctance  in  writing  to  you  than  I  otherwise  should. 

Before  the  death  of  my  wife,  in  August  last,  I  was  a  most  decided  unbe- 
liever ;  so  much  so,  that  I  often  said  T  would  not  go  twenty  rods  out  of  my  way 
to  see  the  most  astounding  manifestations  yet  related.  I  believed  it  all  a 
humbug.  Therefore  I  am  now  entirely  ignorant  of  any  physical  manifesta- 
tions (unless  the  following  may  be  considered  as  such)  :  While  I  was  standing 
by  the  corpse  of  my  wife,  the  day  after  her  death,  I  felt  a  very  strange  and 
pleasing  sensation,  such  as  I  never  felt  before  (which  I  am  unable  to  describe 
and  therefore  will  not  attempt),  and  I  have  often  felt  the  same  sensation  since 
then.  It  steals  over  me  in  my  solitude  both  night  and  day,  and  cheers  my 
lone  hours.  It  has  awakened,  in  my  mind  an  interest  of  inquiry  into  the  truth 
of  the  doctrine  of  Spiritualism ;  and,  although  I  can  not  yet  fully  believe  in 
spiritual  manifestations  (I  wish  I  could),  my  mind  has  undergone  an  entire 
change  in  regard  to  the  future.  The  love  of  life  and  great  dread  of  death 
have  forsaken  me,  and  I  look  forward  with  cheerfulness  and  hope  to  the  time 
when  I  anticipate  meeting  that  pure  spirit  who  has  gone  before  me,  etc. 


'  "^  ,  III.,  April  15. 

Dear  Sir — I  make  no  other  apology  for  addressing  you  at  this  time  than 
that  I  have  perused  a  work  from  the  spirit-land,  which  has  been  prepared  un- 
der the  supervision  of  you  and  Dr.  Dexter,  which  has  given  me  more  satisfac- 
tion with  regard  to  the  future  state,  or  life  after  death,  than  I  had  ever  re- 
ceived from  all  other  sources.  And  I  take  this  opportunity  of  returning  to 
you  and  the  Doctor  my  sincere  and  heartfelt  thanks  for  the  light,  and  the 
many  and  everlasting  truths  I  have  received  at  your  hands.  And  believe, 
that  although  this  work  has  been  aided  in  its  onward  progress  by  you,  through 
much  self-sacrifice  on  your  part,  yet  you  have  been  more  than  paid  for  all 
your  efforts  to  aid  the  cause  of  truth  in  the  satisfaction  of  having  done  right. 
I  have  been  for  years  lecturing  upon  the  laws  of  life  and  health,  and  striving 
for  reform  in  medicine,  but  my  mind  has  been  in  darkness  with  regard  to  the 
future  until  I  perused  your  work,  etc. 


,  Wisconsin,  April  10,  1854. 

Dear  Jxtdge — With  much  consolation  and  delight  I  have  just  read  your 
work  on  "  Spiritualism,"  and  now  am  almost  persuaded  to  be  a  Spiritualist, 
but  pause  before  I  hazard  my  temporal  as  well  as  my  spiritual  welfare  in  adopt- 
ing such  a  belief.         ******** 

If  only  convinced  that  it  was  right  to  countenance  and  assist  such  proceed- 
ings, I  would  gladly  bid  farewell  to  all  bright  visions  of  earthly  pleasure, 


24: 


INTKODUCTION. 


wealth,  and  fame,  and  devote  this  life  to  the  spiritual  interests  of  immortal  man. 
Until  six  years  of  age  I  was  instructed  by  my  parents  in  the  Presbyterian 
faith,  from  whom  I  was  at  that  time  separated,  and  have  since  (which  is  about 
sixteen  years)  been  left  to  take  my  own  course  through  life,  influenced  at  one 
time  by  circumstances  to  attend  Roman  Catholic  worship,  at  another  Episcopa- 
lian, at  another  Methodist,  etc.,  each  professing  differently,  yet  each  right  and 
all  others  wrong.  To  consent  to  unite  with  any  one  of  the  sects  I  could  not. 
I  observed  good  and  bad  professors  in  them  all,  and  just  as  honest  and  honor- 
able men  among  those  who  made  no  religious  profession.  I  soon  became  be- 
wildered, careless,  skeptical,  and  finally  almost  a  confirmed  infidel.  I  had  not 
long  witnessed  these  modern  spiritual  manifestations  before  I  became  convinced 
that  they  were  produced  through  some  invisible  agency ;  and,  although  I  had 
once  laughed  and  ridiculed  the  idea  of  there  being  any  ghosts,  witches,  or 
haunted  houses,  I  was  at  length  compelled  to  think  otherwise,  and  obliged  to 
admit  the  probability  of  those  strange  manifestations,  and  persuaded  myself 
that  all  those  apparently  supernatural  phenomena  that  have  been  exhibited 
in  all  ages  of  the  world  to  the  present  time,  viz.,  ghost-appearances,  witch- 
craft, sorcery,  house  haunting,  necromancy,  mesmerism,  psychology,  biology, 
animal  magnetism,  clairvoyance,  table  tippings,  and  all  these  late  spirit-mani- 
festations were  produced  through  the  same  agency,  that  they  were  different 
branches  of  the  same  mysterious  tree.  I  believed  that  there  could  no  good 
come  from  it.  *  *  *  But  since  reading  your  work  on  "  Spiritualism,"  I  do 
not  know  what  to  think  about  it.  I  know,  however,  the  immortality  of  the 
soul  was  never  more  clearly  demonstrated  to  my  mind,  or  my  belief  in  that 
fact  or  in  the  Divine  authenticity  of  the  Bible  was  never  more  strongly  confirm- 
ed, though  the  belief  is  not  of  so  superstitious  a  nature  as  it  once  was.  Hon- 
ored Judge,  sympathize  with  ISie  feeble,  and  do  not  disdain  to  answer,  and  oblige 

Your  sincere  disciple. 


,  Miss.,  29th  May,  1854. 

Dear  Sib — I  have  just  finished  the  perusal  of  a  work  bearing  your  name,  on 
the  subject  of  spiritual  intercourse  with  man  in  the  flesh,  and  am  induced  to 
address  you  for  the  purpose  of  trying  to  fix  my  mind  upon  its  important  truths ; 
for,  believe  me,  I  am  anxious  to  know  the  truth  that  I  may  be  able  to  believe. 
I  have  tried  through  twenty  years  to  believe  in  the  Christian  system,  and  with 
all  the  aids  of  education,  parental  training,  and  example,  and  the  strongest 
wish,  I  have  been  unable  to  believe,  and  am,  of  course,  afloat  upon  an  ocean 
without  an  anchor.  You  will  appreciate,  then,  my  solicitude  for  certainty 
on  a  matter  of  such  importance  as  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  If  that  can  be 
obtained,  I  can  begin  to  be  happy,  otherwise  I  shall  not,  of  course,  emerge  from 
the  gloom  that  has  always  surrounded  me,  etc. 


,  Maine,  June  Sth,  1854. 

Mt  dear  Sir— Having  recently  read  a  book  on  Spiritualism,  put  out  to  an 
anxious  and  inquiring  world  by  yourself  and  Dr.  Dexter,  I  have  thought  it  not 
a  sin  to  address  you  for  a  few  moments  upon  the  same,  a  subject  so  deeply  in 


INTKODUCTION".  25 

teresting  to  the  living,  and  of  so  much  vital  importance  to  the  spiritual  "welfare 
of  the  world. 

I  have  thought  much  and  zealously  upon  the  great  subject,  Death.  My 
mind  has  seized  hold  with  eager  grasp  on  many  and  varying  ideas,  and  it  some- 
times has  appeared  that  I  was  fixed  in  some  permanent  belief,  one  which  would 
hold  me  up  here  and  buoy  my  sinking  spirit  over  the  waves  of  Jordan  in  safety ; 
but  no  sooner  found  than  gone.  If  the  least  appearance  of  trouble  threaten- 
ed, or  the  dark  billows  of  life  seemed  to  overwhelm  me,  then  it  was,  and  so  it 
has  ever  been,  my  faith  has  forsaken  me,  and  I  have  fell  back  in  despair. 
The  dark  clouds  of  futurity  came  rolling  in  upon  my  mental  vision,  and  death 
seemed  to  blast  even  my  fondest  hopes !  This  was  when  life  was  most  pleasing. 
I  had  around  me  a  little  family — two  boys  and  two  girls — an  affectionate  wife, 
and  a  devoted  mother.  'Tis  true  I  had  consigned  to  the  grave  a  good  father,  a 
tender,  doting  mother,  and  a  kind  and  affectionate  sister.  I  had  often  thought 
of  them,  and  had  frequently  bedewed  their  graves  with  memory's  tears.  But 
oh  !  the  anguish  of  heart  at  the  loss  of  a  dear  and  affectionate  child,  none, 
none  can  tell  but  a  loving  parent  whose  heart  has  been  lacerated  and  torn  in 
sunder  by  the  event. 

I  have  lost  my  eldest  son,  one  of  the  best  boys  I  ever  knew,  trustworthy, 
well  educated,  temperate,  and  generous  to  a  fault.  Yes,  he  has  gone !  his 
familiar  seat  is  made  vacant  by  death !  And  oh,  my  family  circle  is  broken, 
and  I  know  not  what  to  do  to  find  peace.  I  go  to  church,  all  is  empty!  I 
read  the  Bible.  In  it  I  find  much  to  admire,  and  many  consoling  promises  to 
those  who  love  God  and  do  his  commandments ;  but  still  I  can't  see  my  child ! 
I  pray  with  all  the  sincerity  I  am  master  of — but  still  no  light  appears.  I  am 
wrapped  in  impenetrable  darkness.  It  seems  that  the  shroud  of  death  and 
unbelief  has  already  enveloped  me,  and  from  whence  there  is  no  escape.  The 
question  is  uppermost,  Does  my  cMld  live  ?  is  he  happy  ?  does  he  see  his  father, 
mother,  brother,  and  sisters  ?  does  he  wish  to  be  with  us  again  ?  could  he  have 
been  saved  here  still  longer  .'  was  his  treatment  right  ?  All  these  and  a  thou- 
sand other  ideas  are  constantly  floating  over  my  mind.  Judge  Edmonds,  I  am 
wretched.  It  is  with  difficulty  that  I  can  lay  my  mind  down  to  my  work. 
What  shall  I  do  ?  I  have  my  answer.  Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He 
is  the  resurrection  and  the  life ;  He  who  believeth  on  me  shall  never  die,  etc., 
etc.     Still  I  am  benighted.    My  head  is  enveloped  in  thick  fogs  of  unbelief. 

Can  you,  my  dear  sir,  give  me  light — even  the  least  glimmer  of  hope  that 
my  son  lives  and  is  happy.  I  have  consulted  spirit-mediums,  but  can  get 
nothing  as  yet  satisfactory  to  my  mind.  Perhaps  the  fault  is  all  my  ovra.  I 
am  so  blinded  by  sin  and  unbelief  that  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  get  light 
Your  writing  encouraged  me.    It  seemed  that  while  I  read  I  had  hope,  etc. 


-,  Choctaw  Co.,  Alabama,  June  Wth,  1854. 


Dear  Sir — I  hope  you  will  pardon  me  for  the  liberty  I  have  taken,  being 
an  entire  stranger,  in  addressing  you  this  letter.  I  have  hesitated  a  long  time, 
fearing  that  probably  you  receive  so  many  communications  of  this  kind  that 
you  have  not  time  to  give  attention  to  all.    I  have  this  day,  after  conversations 


26  INTRODUCTION. 

Tvith  one  or  two  of  my  friends,  wlio  are  induced,  as  well  as  myself,  to  believe 
that  there  are  actual  communications  from  the  spirit-land  with  this.  I  have 
never  had  or  have  never  seen  any  thing  of  the  kind,  but  have  read  your  work 
entitled  "  Spiritualism,"  and  with  more  pleasure  than  any  book  I  have  ever 
read.  I  would  give  any  thing  in  my  power  to  be  convinced  of  the  truth.  I 
am  satisfied  I  would  be  a  happy  man,  and  hope  to  be  able  in  some  way,  from 
your  advice,  if  you  will  give  it,  to  arrive  at  some  conclusion,  etc. 


,  Lapeer  Co.,  Mich.,  July  25,  '54. 

Dear  Sir — In  the  flesh  I  am  a  stranger  to  you,  and  in  all  probability  ever 
shall  be,  but  in  sjJirit  I  have  held  sweet  communion  with  you.  Yes,  blessed 
be  Godi  through  your  teachings  on  Spiritualism  I  have  been  delivered  from 
the  blackness  of  infidelity.  For  twenty-five  long  years  I  sought  for  the  jewel 
of  great  price,  and  found  it  not,  untU  my  soul  was  entirely  enveloped  in  the 
black  pool  of  infidelity.  But  my  deliverer  has  come.  My  heart  swells  with 
holy  gratitude  as  1  pen  these  lines.  Yes,  blessed  be  God,  for  me  there  is  hope 
and  gratitude  which  words  can  not  express,  eternal  life.  I  know  you  will 
excuse  me  for  troubling  you  with  these  few  lines.     God  bless  you. 


Lynn  Co.,  Oregon  Territory,  Aug  9,  1854. 


Dear  Sir — I  take  the  liberty  to  write  to  you  though  a  stranger ;  but  after 
reading  your  book  entitled  "  Spiritualism,"  which  I  think  a  great  deal  of,  I  see 
that  you  appear  to  take  a  pleasure  in  comforting  the  afflicted  when  you  can.  If 
it  is  not  asking  too  mnch,  I  would  be  a  thousand  times  thankful  for  a  communi- 
cation through  you  from  our  dear  children  we  have  lost.  I  have  your  "  Spirit- 
ualism" and  the  book  of  "  Human  Nature"  by  Leroy  Sunderland,  and  Andrew 
Jackson  Davis'  writings,  which  has  been  more  satisfaction  and  comfort  to  me 
than  all  the  riches  of  this  earth  could  be  if  I  had  them.  They  have  helped 
me,  with  what  little  manifestations  I  have  witnessed  of  the  spiritual  manifesta- 
tions, to  settle  my  belief.  I  have  studied  the  laws  of  nature  all  my  life  since 
I  can  recollect,  daily  and  almost  hourly,  and  I  could  not  decide  whether  there 
was  a  fifture  state  of  existence  after  this  life  or  not.  I  could  not  believe  the 
Bible,  for  it  did  not  correspond  with  the  laws  of  nature,  nor  common  sense,  nor 
justice ;  but  after  reading  all  those  works,  and  seeing  and  hearing  what  little 
I  have,  I  am  a  firm  believer  in  the  cause,  which  surely  is  a  good  one,  etc. 


,  Virginia,  1st  Oct.,  1854. 

Sir — Although  I  am  an  entire  stranger  to  you,  nevertheless  I  have  concluded 
to  write  to  you  relative  to  a  subject  about  which  I  feel  very  much  interested — 
it  is  "  Spiritualism,"  any  knowledge  of  which  I  was  entirely  ignorant,  except 
some  general  newspaper  informatioh,  until  very  lately  I  was  loaned  by  a  friend 
from  New  York  your  first  volume  on  that  subject.  I  must  say  my  mind  since 
its  perusal  has  been  very  much  relieved.  I  feel  as  though  I  had  almost  ar- 
rived at  one  of  the  "  spheres"  so  beautifully  described  in  said  volume,  the 
reason  of  which  I  believe  is  on  account  of  tiie  condition  my  mind  has  been  in 


INTBODirOTION.  27 

the  last  twenty  years,  an  outline  of  which  I'll  give  you,  as  my  condition  has 
been  an  unusual  one. 

When  I  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age  I  became  very  much  concerned 
about  the  eternal  world,  and  made  every  effort  to  prepare  myself  for  it,  and  was 
for  about  three  weeks  the  most  miserable  being  you  could  conceive  of.  Occasion- 
ally during  this  time,  by  continually  humbling  myself  before  God,  I  would  feel 
for  a  short  time  a  spiritual  influence  within  me,  but  this  would  last  only  a  very 
short  time,  when  again  all  my  condemnation  and  wretchedness  would  revive. 
In  this  way  I  continued  night  and  day  pretty  much,  until  my  system  couldn't 
hold  out  any  longer,  and  concluded  I  was  lost  and  gave  up,  when,  on  the  same 
day,  while  walking  alone  and  bemoaning  my  condition,  there  was  a  sudden 
change  come  over  my  understanding  or  feelings,  for  it  appeared  that  spirit,  for 
which  I  had  so  long  been  striving  to  get  to  stay  with  me,  was  within  me,  not 
only  within  me,  but  round  about  me  and  in  every  living  thing,  in  short  God 
was  everywhere,  and  'twas  in  Him  I  lived  and  moved,  and  in  Him  all  things 
consisted.  I  was  relievecl ;  but  it  didn't  last  over  a  few  weeks,  for  I  became  a 
constant  student  of  the  Bible,  and  in  it  I  found  so  much  contradiction  and 
cruelty— the  last  in  the  Old  Testament — that  I  was  a  miserable  being  for  three 
years,  and  never  obtained  any  relief  until  I  ceased  to  read  or  reflect  on  the 
subject.  I  now  refused  to  be  recognized  as  a  religious  man,  although  I  con- 
tinued one  outwardly  and  longed  to  be  one,  and  frequently  since  have  com- 
menced studying  my  Bible,  but  I  would  soon  have  to  give  it  up  again.  This, 
with  what  real  religion,  according  to  the  New  Testament,  I  could  see  in  the 
world,  so  staggered  me,  that  I  coul^  not  have  credulity  enough  to  believe  in 
sufficient  to  embrace ;  for,  according  to  the  requirements  there  laid  down,  re- 
ligion, pure  religion,  had  nearly  ceased  to  be. 

In  just  such  a  condition  have  I  been  for  many  years,  completely  between 
two  difficulties,  that  of  heartily  desiring  to  be  religious,  and  the  other,  not 
knowing  how  I  could  possibly  reconcile  the  inconsistencies  already  mentioned. 
At  one  time  I  read  every  work  nearly  in  the  language  on  infidelity,  but  here 
I  could  not  find  any  relief,  for  none  of  said  writers  ever  made  me  disbelieve  in 
revelation.  Yet,  you'll  say,  "I  contradict  myself;"  but  what  I  mean  is,  I 
could  not  be  made  to  believe  or  disbelieve;  was  in  a  complete  strait;  and, 
moreover,  I  never  wished  or  desired  for  a  moment  to  disbelieve  in  a  revelation 
from  God.  In  truth,  I  have  for  years  longed  and  heartily  \7ished  for  fellow- 
ship with  God,  and  since  reading  your  production  it  seems  as  if  it  is  just  what 
my  condition  requires ;  there  is  a  load  removed  from  me,  and  I  feel  better  satis- 
fied with  myself  and  all  creation.  You  can't  imagine  what  consolation  it  has 
brought  me,  for  I  am  constitutionally  a  religious  man.  I  am  not  for  a  nom- 
inal religion,  but  one  that  reaches  and  influences  continually  the  soul  and  life, 
and  thereby  making  the  being  not  only  an  outwardly  good  man,  but  one  truly 
and  practically,  etc. 


Michigan,  JVov.  5th,  1854. 


My  dear  Friends — If  you  will  permit  an  utter  stranger  thus  to  address 
you,  can  you  with  patience  give  a  few  momenta  of  time  to  the  inquiries  of  one 


28  I  N  T  K  O  D  U  C  T  I  O  N . 

whom  you  may  nerer  see  on  earth,  one  in  whom  you  have  no  interest  more 
than  that  you  have  for  the  whole  family  of  man.  But,  gentlemen,  you  will 
excuse  me  for  that  very  reason,  when  I  say,  I  claim  a  fraternity  from  the 
glowing  affections  of  a  heart  relieved,  hope  re-established,  a  mind  at  rest. 
*  *  *  I  have  been  for  some  weeks  anxious  to  communicate  with  you  touching 
one  of  the  most  momentous  subjects  that  can  interest  an  intellectual  being. 

During  childhood  and  youth  I  was  taught  by  pious  and  careful  parents  in 
the  strictest  possible  manner.  They  (my  parents)  were  both  strict  Lutherans 
and  perfectly  consistent  in  every  point.  Of  course  this  had  great  influence 
with  their  children.  My  preliminary  education  was  the  best  the  State  afford- 
ed, and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  I  commenced  the  study  of  medicine.  The 
habit  of  close  and  scrutinizing  investigation,  induced  by  this  study,  was  soon 
formed  in  me,  and  thus  I  was  soon  led  to  re-examine  the  religious  principles 
taught  me  in  early  life.  The  result,  unfortunately,  was  to  unsettle  the  whole 
range  of  my  religious  opinions.  Since  that  day  to  the  present,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-two,  I  have  been  in  doubt  and  often  in  anxious  perplexity.  When  I  heard 
of  the  "  Rochester  knockings''  it  engaged  my  attention  for  a  few  weeks,  but 
from  the  paucity  of  information  that  I  could  obtain,  I  threw  it  aside  as  non- 
sense. Lately,  however,  a  friend  put  into  my  hand  a  work  published  by  Judge 
Edmonds  and  Dr.  Dexter,  with  an  appendix  by  Gov.  Tallmadge. 

This  work  I  read  and  re-read  with  the  most  anxious  attention.  Indeed, 
shall  I  acknowledge  it,  my  mind  was  so  absorbed  that  I  could  neither  eat  nor 
sleep.  The  third  reading  was  a  critical  and  close  examination  of  principle, 
doctrine,  object,  laws  of  nature  promulgated,  its  consistency  with  the  laws  of 
nature  heretofore  known,  etc.,  etc.  In  candor  I  must  say  I  was  a  ready  con- 
vert. The  more  so,  perhaps,  because  the  whole  doctrine  in  a  singular  manner 
agrees  with  many  misty,  indistinct,  half-formed  opinions  I  had  gained  by  the 
study  of  astronomy,  etc. 


,  Ky.,  JVov.  15,  1854. 

Dear  Sir — I  have  read  your  work  on  Spiritualism  with  great  pleasure,  and 
also  your  occasional  publications  in  the  Sacred  Circle.  I  have  always  arisen 
from  the  perusal  of  them  with  purer  sentiments  and  stronger  hopes  of  man's 
immortality  than  I  have  derived  from  any  other  production,  etc. 


New  York,  JVov.  22c?,  1854. 

Dear  Sir — Impelled  by  emotions  of  the  deepest  gratitude,  I  address  you 
these  lines  (although  personally  a  stranger  to  you),  for  the  purpose  of  render- 
ing my  sincere  and  heartfelt  acknowledgments  for  the  inestimable  blessing 
which  God  in  his  infinite  mercy  has  been  pleased  to  bestow  upon  me,  through 
your  divine  instrumentality. 

The  son  of  orthodox  parents,  and  the  grandson  of  an  orthodox  clergyman,  I 
at  an  early  age  imbibed  those  gloomy  doctrines.  As  I  grew  older,  and  reason 
assumed  her  prerogative,  I  began  to  entertain  serious  doubts  of  their  truth. 
The  more  I  studied  to  understand  them,  the  more  I  became  perplexed,  until 
finally  the  conviction  forced  itself  upon  my  mind,  that  there  was  something 


INTRODUCTION.  29 

entirely  wrong  in  the  doctrines  I  had  been  tanght  to  believe.  Still  there  "was 
an  aching  void  within  me ;  an  unutterable  longing  for  something  higher  and 
holier  than  this  earth  could  give,  and  for  a  stronger  evidence  and  more  living 
faith  in  immortality.  I  deeply  felt  the  necessity  of  a  more  pure  and  undefiled 
religion,  which,  freed  from  all  earthly  error,  and  clad  in  the  simple  garb  of 
truth,  our  reason  and  our  hearts  could  at  once  embrace.  Long  I  struggled  in 
a  sea  of  doubts  and  fears,  while  from  my  inmost  went  up  an  earnest  prayer 
for  truth. 

About  sixteen  months  ago  I  read  your  letter  in  the  Herald,  which  called  my 
attention  to  the  phenomena  of  the  spiritual  manifestations.  I  had  heard  of  the 
subject  before,  but  believing  it  to  be  one  of  the  common  humbugs  of  the  day, 
I  had  not  considered  it  worth  investigating.  But  when  I  read  the  testimony 
of  one  whose  distinguished  name  and  high  position  placed  him  far  above  sus- 
picion, I  could  no  longer  remain  insensible  to  its  importance.  I  commenced 
investigating,  and  received  evidence  after  evidence  of  the  truth  of  spirit-inter- 
course, until  the  last  shadow  of  doubt  was  removed  from  my  mind,  and  the  sub- 
lime reality  of  eternal  life,  with  all  its  immortal  splendor,  burst  upon  my 
astonished  vision,  and  I  rejoiced  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory. 

I  am  now  in  almost  daily  communication  with  the  happy  spirits  of  those  who 
were  near  and  dear  to  me  on  the  earth,  who  have  proved  their  identity  by  un- 
mistakable tests;  whose  heavenly  influence  and  glad  messages  of  undying 
love  have  quickened  into  life  interior  powers  that  I  knew  not  of,  and  thrilled 
my  soul  with  raptures  inexpressible  and  joys  unfelt  before ;  and  whose  high 
and  holy  teachings  have  led  me  to  a  more  intimate  communion  with  my  Maker ; 
and  have  unfolded  to  my  senses  a  new  world  of  ever-increasing  loveliness  and 
beauty. 

I  feel  that  I  have  indeed  passed  from  death  unto  life. 

Oh !  how  sweetly  the  pure  and  holy  teachings  of  Jesus,  who  died  on  Calvary 
for  these  same  truths,  harmonize  with  our  interior  perceptions  when  stripped 
of  the  false  covering  which  bigotry  and  superstition  have  thrown  around  them. 

I  have  also  the  gratifying  evidence  of  its  happy  effects  upon  many  of  my 
friends,  whose  attention  I  have  directed  to  this  fountain  of  living  waters,  and 
whose  thirsty  souls  are  now  drinking  in  rich  draughts  of  immortal  joy, 

A  respected  and  aged  friend  in  the  West  writes  me  thus : 

"Dear  Sir — The  evidences  and  very  strong  proofs  with  which  you  have 
been  favored,  of  having  conununication  with  your  departed  brother  and  sister, 
have  filled  me  with  astonishment,  and,  as  it  were,  made  me  at  once  a  staunch 
believer,  with  a  full  determination  to  obtain  all  the  knowledge  upon  the  subject 
that  my  short  span  of  remaining  time  will  permit. 

"  Sir,  I  thank  you  for  the  papers  you  sent  me.  I  have  read  them  carefully, 
and  with  pleasure.  I  will  now  confess  to  you,  that  through  a  long  life  I  have 
always  been  a  kind  of  infidel ;  from  my  inability  clearly  to  ascertain  the  mind's 
immortality.  In  this  it  is  proved  beyond  a  doubt.  I  can  now  see  my  way 
clear.  God  is  good.  God  is  love.  We  can  now  love  him.  A  vail  is  as  it  were 
drawn  from  my  vision.  My  life  has  acquired  a  value  of  which  I  was  not  be- 
fore aware.  I  thought  that  life  was  short,  and  almost  worthless.  But  thanks 
to  God  it  is  otherwise.    Let  us  rejoice." 


30'  INTEODUCTION. 

Thus  haying  had  both  internal  and  external  evidence  of  its  heavenly  influ- 
ence and  redeeming  ptiwer;  I  can  no  longer  doubt  that  it  is  indeed  of  God ;  and 
that  all  things  else  but  truth  will  fall  before  its  surpassing  glory ;  and  that 
its  quickening  power  wiU  spread  through  the  hearts  of  men,  until  every  human 
soul  "  with  heaven-born  love  grows  warm ;"  and  the  will  of  God  is  done  upon 
the  earth  even  as  it  is  done  in  "heaven ;  until  the  whole  earth  blooms  in  peren- 
nial beauty  from  the  Arctic  to  the  Antarctic  circle ;  from  the  Orient  to  the 
Occident ;  and  never-ending  songs  of  love  and  praise  to  God  most  high  ascend 
with  the  morning  sun,  as  she  rolls  her  flood  of  golden  light  around  a  world  of 
love. 

Even  now,  while  I  write,  I  feel  the  influence  of  holy  spirits  diffusing  through 
my  soul  a  harmony  so  divine,  a  joy  so  serene,  that  my  whole  interior  being 
seems  vibrating  to  the  music  of  the  spheres ;  and  my  glad  soul  seems  eager  to 
take  its  immortal  flight  to  the  realms  of  endless  day. 

Oh !  for  language  to  express  the  joys  I  know,  the  gratitude  I  feel.  But 
there  are  emotions  of  the  soul  which  mortal  language  can  not  express,  which 
mortal  lips  can  not  utter,  and  which  must  be  deferred  until,  freed  from  earthly 
impediments,  I  can  address  you  in  the  language  of  the  soul,  when  I  meet  you 
in  the  realms  of  glory. 


N.  Y.,  Dec.  6tfi,  1854. 


My  dear  Sir— I  hope  you  will  pardon  the  liberty  I  have  taken  in  address- 
ing this  communication  to  you,  but  when  you  find  that  it  is  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  more  light  upon  a  subject  that  lies  very  near  my  heart  and  con- 
science, I  think  you  will  perceive  that  I  have  no  ulterior  object  in  view.  I 
came  to  the  city  of  Hudson  to  live  about  the  year  1829,  to  learn  the  tailor's 

trade.     *    *    *    if  you  recollect was  what  in  them  days  was  called  a 

Freethinker,  and  left  his  impressions  in  regard  to  divine  things  on  my  mind,  so 
that  I  have  gone  through  all  the  scale  of  skepticism,  until  September  last  I  ob- 
tained a  copy  of  your  and  Dr.  Dexter's  work  on  Spiritualism ;  but  I  am  as  one 
laboring  in  the  dark.  I  can  not  go  back  to  cold  skepticism ;  and  I  have  not 
enough  of  light  upon  this  great  and  momentous  subject  to  send  me  forward  re- 
joicing. Although  born  in  poverty  and  reared  in  want,  my  mind  has  always 
been  led  to  inquire  what  is  truth  ?  how  shall  I  obtain  it  ?  I  have  went  through 
all  the  doctrinal  poihts  of  the  so-called  Christian  creeds,  and  find  but  little  of 
it  there,  and  the  balance  error ;  but  if  this  last  manifestation  should  prove 
true,  what  a  day  of  rejoicing  to  the  down-trodden  millions  of  earth,  when  they 
shall  fiind  that  they  all  are  His  Children,  and  He  is  their  Father,  and  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  children  of  the  Devil,  no  further  than  wrong  teaching  and  the 
sway  of  their  own  passions  have  made  them  so !  etc. 


Ohio,  May  30,  1854. 


Dear  Sir — Though  entirely  a  stranger,  I  venture  to  address  you  on  the  oc- 
casion of  reading  the  relation  of  your  vision  (to-day  for  the  first),  as  I  find  it 
copied  into  the  Ohio  Statesman  of  this  city. 

You  may  judge  of  the  interest  I  take  in  the  matter,  when  it  is  noted  that  I 


INTRODTTOTION.  31 

have  communicated  with  spirits  in  the  invisible  world  daily,  and  frequently 
hourly,  for  the  last  eighteen  months ;  hut  not  in  the  satisfactory  visible  man- 
ner in  which  communications  are  made  to  you.     *     *     *     * 

I  was  previously,  and  during  most  of  the  period  of  manhood,  a  confirmed  but 
honest  skeptic  as  to  immortality  and  the  Scriptures.    I  am  so  no  longer,  etc. 


,  Jeffersox  Co.,  New  York,  Jan.  6,  1854. 

Dear  Sir — I  am  almost  in  my  seventieth  year.  Thirty-four  years  ago  I 
joined  the  Presbyterian  Church.  I  was  an  elder  in  the  same  for  some  years ; 
but  when  I  came  to  investigate  the  creeds  on  which  the  polity  of  the  church 
was  founded,  I  discovered  that  the  God  they  presented  me  for  my  adora- 
tion was  not  the  God  before  whom  in  the  stillness  of  my  own  communing  I  had 
given  a  willing  obeisant  surrender  of  my  heart.  That  God  the  Father,  the 
Creator,  and  the  Sustainer  of  the  human  family  should,  for  his  pleasure  or 
otherwise — prior  to  the  creation  of  our  earth — make  to  himself  a  place  of 
such  dark  damnation  as  they  depict,  and  that  God,  even  prior  to  this,  in  his 
own  wisdom  did  predestinate  a  large  mass  of  the  human  family  lo  be  occupants 
of  this  fearful  place,  I  must  confess  I  found  myself  an  unbeliever,  and  if  there 
had  been  no  refuge  but  the  church  to  which  I  might  flee,  I  should  have 
doubted  the  truths  of  God's  Holy  Word.  But  it  pleased  God  to  place  in  my 
way  men  who  taught  a  more  rational  doctrine.  Now  that  light  has  dawned 
on  the  world,  I  begin  to  realize  some  of  great  truths  so  indistinctly  seen  in 
the  past.  First  to  me  came  "  Davis,"  dispelling  the  mists  of  darkness,  and 
bidding  the  weary  pilgrim  raise  his  longing  eyes  to  see  the  joys  approach. 
After  that  came  your  Book  of  Books.  And  let  me  here  take  this  opportunity 
to  thank  you  most  heartily  for  foregoing  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season,  that 
you  might  put  in  the  hands  of  your  fellow-man  these  words  of  life.  God  bless 
you  for  the  noble  act.  Oh,  how  my  heart  has  expanded  to  those  streams  of 
gushing  eloquence,  as  they  fell  from  the  spirit-lips  of  Bacon  and  Sweedenborg, 
Day  and  night,  night  and  day,  have  I  feasted  on  them,  and  still  I  turn  to  the 
banquet  with  renewed  desire  to  taste  again,  etc. 


,  New  Jersey,  Jan.  Sth,  1854, 

Sir — I  some  time  since  attended  your  lecture  at  this  place,  and  from  your 
twice  or  thrice  stating  the  satisfaction  it  would  be  to  you,  if  but  one  of  that 
numerous  audience  would  look  into  and  search  of  this  great  and  wonderful 
revelation  of  the  truth  of  which  you  had  become  fully  convinced,  but,  sir,  to 
my  great  disappointment,  you  never  in  any  way  pointed  out  to  us  how  a  man 
should  search  for  the  proof  of  a  future  existence  by  present  spiritual  mani- 
festations. I  hope,  sir,  you  will  excuse  the  liberty  I  take,  being  an  utter 
stranger,  in  wishing  to  occupy  a  little  of  your  valuable  time ;  but  I  have  all 
my  life  been  strangely  skeptical  of  a  future  existence,  my  mind  being  of  that 
order  requiring  present  and  positive  proof.  I  have  read  and  heard  of  a  great 
many  accounts  of  the  wonders  of  spiritual  manifestations,  but  I  have,  during 
my  life,  passed  through  several  professed  new  dispensations,  and  seeing  them 


32  INTRODUCTION. 

all  die  a  natural  death,  I  paid  but  little  attention  to  this  until  I  heard  that  a 
man  of  your  known  reputation  and  character  had  become  a  firm  believer  in 
the  truth  of  Spiritualism,  etc. 

,  Michigan,  Jan.  list,  1854. 


Dear  Sir— I  am  directed  by  a  spirit  of  a  high  degree  of  intelligence  to  ad- 
dress you,  otherwise  I  (a  stranger  to  you)  would  not  obtrude  upon  your  valu- 
able time. 

I  am  directed  to  say  that  our  mission  of  love  to  our  fellow-men  may  be 
much  facilitated  by  the  mediums  which  are  scattered  at  remote  distances 
through  the  vineyard  making  themselves  known  to  each  other ;  this,  to  me, 
would  prove  a  high  pleasure,  if  not  an  incalculable  benefit. 

I  am  further  directed  to  give  you  a  brief  history  of  the  spiritual  manifesta- 
tions in  my  family,  which  I  proceed  to  do  without  ceremony. 

I  was  reared  in  the  old  severe  Presbyterian  school,  the  result  of  which  was, 
that  at  the  early  age  of  ten  years  I  turned  in  disgust  and  inexpressible  hatred 
from  the  Christian  mythology  and  openly  avowed  my  unbelief  in  the  God  of 
Israel.  Of  course  this  open  rebellion  subjected  me  to  much  persecution  from 
that  time  onward ;  but  thus  early  I  had  ample  evidence  of  the  presence  of  in- 
visible intelligences,  which  directed  my  steps  in  the  paths  of  virtue.  Fully 
appreciating  my  high  responsibilities  as  a  member  of  the  great  social  family, 
I  arrived  at  hopeful  manhood,  deeply  impressed  with  the  great  truth  that  my 
theory  of  spiritual  presences  was  correct  and  that  the  world  was  wrong,  and 
as  deeply  impressed  with  the  enhancement  of  my  moral  obligations  and  duties 
under  this  beautiful  economy,  which,  however,  was  as  yet  indefinite  in  my 
own  mind.  At  twenty-two  I  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law  in  Ohio ;  the 
future  promised  a  bright  and  flattering  propect,  but  my  mind  was  so  deeply 
impressed  with  higher  truths  than  my  profession  promised,  that  in  1843,  after 
ten  years  devoted  to  my  profession,  I  removed  to  this  county  with  a  young  and 
loving  wife,  to  enjoy  a  seclusion  which  my  professional  pursuits  forbid.  .  One 
great  object  of  this  step  was  to  adopt  and  cultivate  those  simple  habits  of  con- 
duct and  that  independency  of  thought  and  mental  discipline  so  much  at  war 
with  the  social  habits  of  the  times.  My  intention  was  to  devote  my  life  to 
literature  and  the  investigation  of  the  laws  of  eternal  progression,  of  which  I 
supposed  myself  the  discoverer,  and  as  such  would  have  claimed  no  small  de- 
gree of  credit  had  I  not  since  have  discovered  that  my  mind  was  but  the 
humble  medium  of  the  great  thoughts  of  highly  progressed  spirits,  etc. 


,  N.  H.,  Feh.  20,  1854. 

Dear  Sir — I  commenced  the  reading  of  your  work  entitled  "  Spiritualism" 
with  much  solicitude  for  the  doctrines  it  might  teach,  and  have  read  it  with 
deep  interest  and  great  satisfaction.  It  has  strengthened  my  belief  in  the  all- 
wise  purposes  of  God,  and  more  than  all,  in  the  future  existence  of  the  human 
race.  To  the  minds  of  many,  indeed,  a  large  majority  of  men,  future  existence 
may  be  proven  by  the  works  of  nature,  or  to  those  who  possess  the  faith  by 
the  Scriptures.  But  I  saw  not  the  evidence,  nor  had  I  the  faith.  Even  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  I  well  remember  having  serious  reflections  upon  the  subject  of 


INTRODUCTION.  ,  33 

religion.  But  thus  early  I  found  in  the  popular  systems  of  worship  inconsist- 
encies with  what  I  believed  must  be  the  great  leading  characteristics  of  God, 
that  God  in  whose  works  such  wisdom,  beauty,  and  justice  are  evinced.  As  I 
grew  older  these  convictions  were  strengthened,  until  at  last  I  became  almost  a 
confirmed  skeptic.  Still  there  remained  in  my  mind  an  inherent  desire  to  em- 
brace some  great  general  principles  of  religion  that  Avere  not  inconsistent  with 
what  I  conceived  to  be  the  character  of  that  Being  who  created  man  with  his 
beautiful  organism,  and  the  vast  universe  obeying  unerring  laws  and  moving 
in  such  harmony.  When  Davis'  Revelations  appeared,  I  read  it  with  eager- 
ness and  also  his  subsequent  publications,  and  found  a  plan,  in  many  things 
consonant  with  the  great  desire  of  my  heart  and  the  convictions  of  my  reason. 
These  and  many  other  kindred  works  paved  the  way  for  your  "  Spiritualism," 
and  now  I  write  to  thank  you  sincerely  for  the  sacrifices  you  have  made  for 
your  fellow-man,  and  for  your  honesty  and  independence  in  declaring  to  the 
world  your  convictions  upon  this  most  momentous  subject.  I  can  not  conceive 
of  any  conclusion  so  rational  as  the  one  you  have  embraced,  that  these  mani- 
festations are  from  spirits.  K  this  intelligence  comes  from  man,  through  some 
undiscovered  channel,  has  the  world  ever  before  witnessed  such  a  universal 
concert  in  falsehood  as  these  communications  exhibit  ?  Would  every  mind 
which  acts  upon  the  medium  add  its  testimony  to  the  one  great  falsehood  .^  It 
is  not  possible.  I  dare  say  in  your  experience  as  a  judge  you  have  seen  noth- 
ing equal  to  it.  Man  is  not  so  base.  I  believe  Spiritualism  not  inconsistent 
with  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible.  It  does  not  comport  with  the  present  condi- 
tion of  the  Church.  I  believe  many  errors  have  grown  into  the  popular  sys- 
tems of  worship,  that  there  is  coldness,  aristocracy,  and  selfishness  mixed  with 
many  things  of  good,  and  of  course  must,  for  a  while,  receive  their  opposition. 
Your  publication  clears  up  many  points  of  doubt  which  gave  me  some  disqui- 
etude previously.  There  are  many  believers  in  this  new  doctrine,  and  many 
of  the  first  minds  in  our  State,  and  many  others,  are  reading  these  works,  etc. 


Ky.,  March  14,  1854. 


Dear  Sir — I  have  just  read  with  a  great  deal  of  interest  your  and  Dr. 
Dexter's  work  on  "  Spiritualism."  I  am  called  by  the  Christian  world  a  skep- 
tic. I  have  at  times  doubted  almost  every  thing  but  my  own  existence.  It  is 
said  that  skepticism  implies  a  want  of  knowledge.  I  admit  it  most  emphatic- 
ally in  reference  to  what  is  taught  by  the  Christian  world  of  a  future  state. 
The  Bible,  as  expounded,  has  never  satisfied  my  mind.  I  have  had  a  thousand 
doubts  in  reference  to  its  teachings,  and  as  I  felt  satisfied  that  some  of  them 
must  be  erroneous,  or  they  were  erroneously  interpreted,  I  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  to  reject  the  whole  as  being  a  revelation  from  God,  and  regard  it 
simply  as  a  history  of  the  Jewish  nation,  with  all  their  superstitious  vagarie*^ 
and  idle  fancies.  But  I  must  confess,  that  since  reading  your  work,  the  only- 
one  of  the  kind  I  have  read,  many  of  my  doubts  have  been  removed  in  refer-^ 
ence  to  many  of  the  facts  of  the  Bible,  believing  yet  there  are  many  errors  of ' 
fact,  and  consequently  wrong  deductions  therefrom.  I  make  this  latter  ad- 
mission on  the  presumption  that  Spiritualism  be  true,  etc. 

3 


34  INTKODUCTION. 

There  is  another  respect  in  which  the  communications  given  to 
us  receive  corroboration  from  their  accordance  w^ith  others,  and 
that  is  in  demonstrating  that  the  memory,  the  affections,  and  the 
characteristics  which  distinguish  us  in  our  earthly  life  follow  us 
into  the  next  existence,  and  abide  with  us  there,  at  least  for  a 
season.  In  this,  too,  I  believe  that  all  the  communications  through 
all  sorts  of  mediumship  agree,  and  it  is  thus  that  we  are  enabled  so 
often  to  identify  the  dear  ones  who  have  gone  before,  even  though 
we  can  not  see  or  hear  them. 

In  all  these  respects  the  agreement  in  the  manifestations  is  uni- 
versal and  uniform. 

But  there  is  another  regard  in  which,  though  the  agreement  is 
not  so  general,  yet  it  is,  as  a  corroboration,  of  equal  interest,  to  me 
at  least.  It  has  been  repeatedly  said  to  me,  that  what  I  was  be- 
holding in  the  visions  described  in  this  and  the  former  volume  was 
what  was  absolutely  going  on  in  the  spirit-life,  and  the  particular 
circumstances  which  occupied  spirits  at  the  time  that  I  saw  them. 

How  it  was  that  I  saw  this,  I  do  not  know.  With  all  my  efforts, 
I  have  not  been  able  to  understand  it.  I  live  in  hopes,  that  in 
time — as  one  by  one  the  explanations  come  to  me — I  may  be  able 
to  comprehend  and  explain  it,  but  at  present  I  can  not.  I  only 
know  that  they  come  without  any  volition  on  my  part,  but  of  their 
own  accord,  and  often  when  I  am  not  expecting  them ;  that  they 
can  not  be  the  product  of  my  own  mind,  for  they  often  differ,  in 
toto  ccbIo,  from  all  my  preconceived  opinions ;  that  they  are  not 
mere  vague  imaginings,  for  they  impress  themselves  on  the  mind 
with  all  the  distinctness  and  precision  which  belong  to  the  impres- 
sion of  material  objects  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  senses ; 
and  that  they  are  not  manifested  to  me  alone,  but  often  to  others 
who  are  present  with  me,  and  who  do  not  at  the  moment  know 
what  I  am  beholding,  and  often  to  others  far  distant  from  me,  and 
of  whose  existence  even,  I  am  at  the  time  ignorant. 

^  can  now  readily  lay  my  hand  on  two  or  three  instances  of  this. 
n  the  course  of  our  travels  last  winter,  we  spent  a  few  days  at  a 
small  village  in  the  West.  There  I  heard,  from  professed  believers 
in  our  faith,  of  a  physician  living  among  them,  who  was  exten- 
sively engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  who  was  a 
Spiritualist,  but  was  generally  regarded  by  them  as  partially  de- 
ranged on  the  subject.     I  thought,  from  the  accounts  I  had  of  him. 


INTRODUCTION.  35 

that  it  was  one  of  those  cases  of  fanaticism  of  which  we  have  been 
pained  to  witness  so  much,  and  I  dismissed  the  matter  from  my 
mind.  Just  before  I  left  the  place,  he  called  on  me,  and  during  a 
brief  conversation  with  him,  I  discovered  a  calm,  clear,  logical 
mind,  with  great  good  sense,  and  an  utter  disregard  of  the  opinions 
of  others  in  his  reception  of  truth.  He  was  aware  of  the  opinion 
which  was  entertained  of  him,  and  said  it  was  because  he  had  told 
of  the  things  which  he  had  seen,  and  others  had  not ;  and  that  they 
had  attempted  to  convince  him  that  he  had  not  seen.  "  But,"  said 
he,  "  I  know  whether  I  see  or  not,  though  it  is  not  an  easy  matter 
to  make  others  know  it."  And  upon  inquiring  of  him  what  it  was 
he  had  seen,  I  was  surprised  to  find  he  had  witnessed  many  of 
the  very  scenes  which  I  had,  when  I  knew  that  he  was  ignorant 
that  I  had  ever  witnessed  them. 

I  was  struck  with  the  corroboration,  for  here  was  a  man  of 
whose  existence  even  I  had  been  unconscious,  who  lived  many 
hundred  miles  distant  from  me,  who  was  ignorant  of  what  had  been 
shown  to  me,  yet  to  whom,  at  about  the  same  time,  precisely  the 
same  revelations  had  been  made. 

This  was  in  the  State  of  Michigan.  Another  instance  came 
from  the  other  extremity  of  the  country,  from  Alabama,  and  through 
an  individual  equally  unknown  to  me.  I  will  let  him  tell  his  own 
tale,  by  inserting  here,  with  his  permission,  one  of  his  letters  to 
me,  merely  remarking  that  in  a  subsequent  interview  with  him,  I 
found  the  corroboration  was  even  stronger  than  his  letters  would 
seem  to  indicate. 

Livingston,  Sumter  County,  Ala., 
May  29th,  1854. 

My  dear  Sir— Manners  and  customs  in  all  ages  have  to  some  extent  been 
conventional,  and  have  seemed  to  require  an  apology  when  one  stranger  ad- 
dressed another  by  letter.  I  have  just  finished  your  work  on  Spiritualism, 
and  though  your  senior  in  years,  I  recognize  you  as  an  elder  brother. 

I  will  commence  by  first  stating  why  I  am  desirous  of  interchanging  views 
and  opinions  with  you.  I  had  no  certain  knowledge,  until  I  read  your  book, 
that  what  is  considered  a  vision  had  ever  appeared  to  me.  I  procured  your 
work  in  Mobile,  about  the  twentieth  of  last  month,  having  never  before  seen 
any  thing  in  print  but  what  had  appeared  in  the  JVational  Intelligencer  ; 
ludge,  then,  my  surprise  when  I  read  the  vision  which  passed  before  you,  in 
which  was  the  old  man  attended  with  rays  of  light,  and  your  departed  friend  in 
a  porch  of  a  cottage  embowered  in  trees.  This  same  vision  in  all  the  minute 
particulars  has  passed  before  me  in  the  last  few  months,  with  this  difference. 


36  •  INT  IIO  DUCTIO  N. 

that  the  porch  and  window  disclosed  the  fact  that  several  of  my  departed 
friends  were  the  occupants.  I  would  add,  that  the  old  man  supported  himself 
with  a  staff  that  reached  higher  than  his  head,  by  holding  it  in  his  right 
hand,  the  hand  pointing  up,  his  whole  frame  so  weak  that  he  bent  to  the 
right  about  the  hips,  and  supported  himself  by  occasionally  bringing  his  left 
hand  to  his  staff  to  aid  in  his  efforts  to  brace  himself  up. 

I  would  likewise  add,  that  all.  things  around,  both  animate  and  inanimate, 
particularly  the  wind,  seemed  endued  with  intelligence.  You  will  readily  con- 
clude that  I  would  be  more  than  human  if  I  did  not  feel  greatly  interested — 
particularly  when  I  have  given  an  account  of  the  vision  in  your  work,  begin- 
ning on  page  248,  and  again  resumed  on  289.  (I  believe  those  are  the  pages ; 
I  have  loaned  the  book  to  a  friend.) 

This  vision  likewise  passed  before  me  with  a  slight  addition,  which  may  be 
called  up  to  your  recollection  when  I  mention  it.  The  star  appeared  to  me 
nearly  as  large  as  a  dinner  plate,  and  unusually  white ;  my  attentionrwas  called 
to  it  with  the  intimation.  The  Star  of  Christ,  with  so  much  quickness  as  only 
to  leave  it  on  the  mind,  and  immediately  the  picture  of  a  head  passed  over  the 
disk ;  the  form  of  which  is  still  so  impressed  on  my  mind,  that,  if  I  was  a 
painter,  I  could  make  an  exact  copy.  It  was  a  calm,  quiet,  rather  pensive, 
intellectual  face ;  a  well-formed  nose ;  a  broad  forehead,  not  remarkably  high, 
but  smoother  and  whiter  than  the  balance  of  the  face ;  a  fullness  about  the 
cheek  bones;  the  chin  somewhat  projecting;  the  mouth  rather  wider  than 
common,  and  the  lips  thinner  than  common. 

The  commodore,  as  presented  to  me,  was  a  middle-aged  man,  and  heavily 
built,  with  a  fine  formed  nose,  and  white  skin,  and  full  glow  of  health.  All 
things  rejoiced  at  his  arrival.  The  human  figure  not  quite  as  tall  as  you  de- 
scribe it. 

You  conclude  that  this  version  is  a  picture  of  progress.  I  think  with  you, 
and  likewise  that  progress  will  be  greatly  accelerated  by  events  now  transpir- 
in  the  world,  particularly  in  Europe.     *     *     *     * 

I  conclude  I  have  said  enough  on  those  subjects,  and  that  I  may  have 
unnecessarily  taxed  you  in  the  midst  of  more  important  demands  on  your 
attention. 

I  salute  you  in  spiritual  affection,  Chs.  R.  Gibbs. 

P.S.—  *    *    *  ,*    * 

You  may  ask  is  my  spirit-brother  a  member  of  any  church .'  I  answer  yes 
The  Senior  Warden  of  St.  James'  Episcopal  at  this  place.  C.  R.  Gibbs. 


Anotlier  instance  is  mentioned  in  a  letter,  from  which  I  extract : 

Sackett's  Harbor,  Oct.  31, 1854. 

Dear  Judge  : 

******** 

My  medial  powers  do  not  seem  to  increase  much,  from  some  cause  or  other. 
In  fact  I  do  not  write  as  well;  but  I  am  informed  they  are  trying  to  develop 


INTRODUCTION.  37 

me  for  speaking,  and  I  often  feel  an  influence,  but  it  is  not  sufl&ciently  con- 
tinuous yet  to  be  beneficial,  as  I  would  like.  I  frequently  have  Tisions,  nights 
or  toward  morniag,  in  a  moderately  sleeping  state. 

It  is  not  a  little  remarkable  to  me  that  yourself,  Mrs.  M ,  of  "Watertown, 

and  myself,  all  unbeknown  to  each  other,  should  have  three  diflFerent  present- 
ations of  the  lowest  circles  agreeing  so  well  in  the  main.  Mine  was  the  22d 
May,  previous  to  the  publication  of  your  first  volume,  and  followed  after  some 
little  anxiety  for  a  friend  who  had  lived  an  unprogressive  life,  and  died  in 
California.  Mrs.  M.'s  was  last  spring.  The  only  difference  is,  she  had  doubts 
whether  they  ever  would  progress.  I  saw  the  possibility  of  their  progressing, 
and  had  the  impression  that  they  would  eventually,  though  slowly,  and  not 
until  a  long  time,  etc. 

There  is  yet  another  consideration  with  the  same  tendency,  and 
that  is  the  effect  which  a  careful  and  close  investigation  of  the 
subject  uniformly  produces  on  the  calm,  logical,  reasoning,  culti- 
vated mind. 

Believers  in  spiritual  intercourse  are  now  numbered  by  millions 
on  earth.  Not  only  in  this  country,  but  throughout  this  continent 
and  the  eastern,  the  manifestations  have  made  their  appearance. 
In  the  salons  of  the  imperial  cities  of  Europe,  amid  our  own 
mighty  forests,  in  the  solitary  islands  of  the  oceans,  and  on  the  clas- 
sic shores  of  Greece  they  have  been  witnessed,  and  everywhere 
they  have  produced  in  the  candid,  inquiring  mind  the  same  effect, 
namely,  the  conviction  of  the  reality  of  spiritual  intercourse.  Why, 
even  the  pulpit,  amid  the  iron  bonds  of  its  sectarianism,  begins  to 
acknowledge  it ;  and  the  press,  mighty  as  it  is  as  an  engine  of 
human  enlightenment,  yet  ever  lagging  behind  the  car  of  advancing 
knov/ledge,  a?itounded  by  the  phenomenon  which  meets  it  at  every 
step,  begins  to  ask.  Can  these  things  be  ?  The  jury-box,  the  bal- 
lot-box, and  the  legislative  halls  begin  to  hear  its  lowly  whisper- 
ings, and  there  stands  now  prominent  before  the  eyes  of  the  world, 
the  fact  of  the  spread  of  a  new  faith,  whose  rapidity  of  progress 
has  no  parallel  in  the  annals  of  mankind. 

May  we  not  then,  with  propriety,  point  to  these  things  as  evidence 
of  the  truth  of  that  which  we  believe  ?  May  we  not  ask,  what  but  a 
stern  reality  could  work  such  marvels  before  men  ?  Could  aught 
but  truth  bend  in  dumb  obedience  to  its  behests  the  brightest  and 
strongest  minds  of  an  age  distinguished  for  its  enlightenment? 
Could  delusion  or  deception  thus  sweep  across  a  prostrate  world 
and  make  conviction  ride  triumphant  over  the  power  of  early  edu- 


38  INTRODUCTION. 

cation,  the  prejudices  of  preconceived  opinions,  and  the  denunci- 
ations of  the  accumulated  knowledge  of  ages,  and  in  defiance  of 
the  universal  cry  which  fear  and  selfishness  have  unitedly  sent 
forth  in  such  warning  tones  ?  May  we  not  ask  what  this  is,  which 
not  only  thus  carries  conviction  in  its  train  in  spite  of  all  obstacles, 
but  which,  coming  from  whatever  source  it  may,  thus  accords  in 
its  general  and  leading  features  ?  that  which,  whether  heard  in  the 
gentle  whisperings  of  the  fireside  or  in  the  roar  of  the  agitated 
multitude — whether  in  the  solitude  of  nature  in  her  wildness,  or 
amid  the  , din  and  bustle  of  city  life  —  whether  emanating  from 
high  or  low,  from  rich  or  poor,  from  the  ignorant  or  instructed — 
whether  amid  the  moan  of  sorrow  or  the  joyous  laugh  of  gladness 
— whether  from  the  confiding  repose  of  childhood  or  the  stern 
activity  of  manhood,  still  exhibits  an  accordance  and  a  power  which 
acknowledge  no  equal  in  the  history  of  the  world  ? 

However  these  considerations  may  strike  others,  we  confess  that 
with  us  they  have  great  force,  and  they  encourage  us  to  go  on 
with  our  work,  because  they  tend  to  convince  us  that  we  do  not 
err. 

We  have  not  been  without  anxiety  on  that  subject,  for  it  would  be 
in  the  highest  degree  painful  to  us  to  learn  that  we  had  even  uncon- 
sciously taught  error  and  misled  only  one  mind.  We  have  therefore 
been  impelled  to  great  caution  as  to  what  we  should  send  forth. 
We  have  not  deemed  it  worth  while  to  enter  into  any  detail  of  the 
numerous  precautions  which  we  have  used,  or  to  explain  the  various 
processes  to  which  we  have  resorted  in  order  to  test  the  accuracy 
of  what  has  been  communicated  to  us,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
we  did  not  desire  ever  to  be  received  by  any  one  as  authority. 
We  preferred  that  each  one  should  examine  for  himself,  and  for 
himself  determine  whether  what  we  uttered  was  the  truth.  If  the 
omission  of  these  details  on  our  part  could  but  result  in  producing 
a  spirit  of  free  inquiry  in  others  we  were  well  content,  even  though 
it  might  subject  us  to  the  imputation  in  some  minds  of  acting 
hastily  or  unadvisedly;  for  of  what  moment  was  it  what  others 
thought  of  us  in  comparison  with  a  freedom  of  thought  which 
should  open  the  human  mind  to  the  reception  of  the  great  truths 
now  dawning  on  the  world  ?  Our  paramount  desire  has  been  to 
attain  the  truth,  to  receive  it  freely  and  impart  it  faithfully,  leaving 
its  adoption  by  oth3rs  to  be  governed  by  their  own  investigations, 


INTEODUOTION.  39 

by  tlie  inner  promptings  of  their  own  hearts  and  by  all  of  nature 
which  they  behold  around  them.* 

But  while  on  the  one  hand  we  have  attached  much  importance  to 
these  items  of  corroboration  to  which  we  have  alluded,  we  have  not, 
on  the  other,  been  unmindful  of  the  numerous  difficulties  attending 
the  intercourse,  nor  of  their  just  influence  in  determining  the 
amount  of  credit  to  be  given  to  them. 

I  pause  here  a  while  to  dwell  on  that  topic. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  I  remark,  that  I  know  of  no  mode  of 
spiritual  intercourse  that  is  exempt  from  a  mortal  taint — no  kind 
of  mediumship  where  the  communication  may  not  be  affected  by 
the  mind  of  the  instrument. 

Take  my  own  mediumship  as  an  illustration.  The  visions  which 
I  have  are,  as  I  have  remarked,  impressed  on  my  mind  as  vividly 
and  distinctly  as  any  material  object  possibly  can  be,  yet  in  giving 
them  to  others,  I  must  rely  upon  and  use  my  own  powers  of  obser- 
vation, my  own  memory,  my  own  command  of  language,  and  I  not 
unfrequently  labor  under  the  difficulty  of  feeling  that  there  is  no 
word  known  to  me  that  is  adequate  to  conveying  the  novel  idea 
communicated.  I  am  often  conscious  that  I  fail,  from  poverty  of 
language,  in  conveying  the  sentiment  I  receive  with  the  same 
vigor  and  clearness  with  which  it  comes  to  me.  So  it  is  also  with 
what  I  may  call  the  didactic  teachings  through  me.  Sometimes 
the  influence  is  so  strong,  that  I  am  given,  not  merely  the  ideas, 
but  the  very  words  in  which  they  are  clothed,  and  I  am  uncon- 
cious  of  what  I  am  going  to  say  until  I  actually  say  it.  At  other 
times  the  thought  is  given  me  sentence  by  sentence,  and  I  know 
not  what  idea  or  sentence  is  to  follow,  but  the  language  used  is 
my  own  and  is  selected  by  myself  from  my  own  memory's  store- 
house. And  at  other  times  the  whole  current  of  thought  or  pro- 
cess of  reasoning  is  given  me  in  advance,  and  I  choose  for  myself 
the  language  and  the  illustrations  used  to  convey  it,  and  sometimes 
the  order  of  giving  it.  But  in  all  these  modes  there  is  more  or 
less  of  myself  in  them,  more  or  less  of  my  individuality  underly- 
ing it  all.     It  must  indeed  be  so,  or  why  should  I  speak  or  write 


*  Perhaps  as  good  evidence  as  we  can  give  of  this  caution  will  be  found  in  the 
fact  of  withholding  this  volume  so  long,  when  the  whole  of  it  could  easily  be 
•written  in  a  month,  and  most  of  it  was  written  more  than  twelve  months  since. 


4^  INTEODTJCTION. 

in  my  own  tongue  rather  than  in  a  dead  or  a  foreign  language 
;  unknown  to  me  ? 

I  have  noticed  the  same  thing  in  the  Doctor,  and  more  than  all 
that,  I  have  observed  in  both  of  us  that  our  communications  not 
only  at  times  contain  what  may  be  called  Americanisms,  but  ex- 
pressions peculiar  to  our  respective  professions. 

It  is,  therefore,  rarely  that  either  of  us  can  say  that  the  commu- 
nications through  us  are  precisely  what  the  spirits  designed  they 
should  be,  and  as  they  designed  them ;  and  consequently  it  will 
never  do  to  receive  them  as  absolute  authority,  however  agreeable 
they  may  be  or  however  consonant  to  other  teachings. 

It  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  account  for  this,  but  it  is  easy  to 
know  that  the  fact  is  so,  and  as  easy  to  observe  that  it  is  at  times 
true  of  all  mediums.  Sometimes  it  is  more  apparent  than  at 
others,  owing  to  many  causes  ever  at  work  around  us  ;  sometimes 
it  is  owing  to  the  physical  condition  of  the  medium,  and  some- 
times to  his  mental  state  ;  sometimes  to  the  atmosphere  ;  some- 
times to  locality — some  localities,  such  as  high  and  hilly  places 
being  more  favorable  than  such  as  are  low  and  swampy ;  some- 
times to  the  condition  of  those  who  are  present,  whether  in  a  state 
of  harmony  or  discord,  and  very  frequently  to  the  state  and  con- 
dition of  the  spirits  who  are  professing  to  commune,  and  their  apt- 
itude to  the  task. 

Thus  I  have  known  a  spirit,  who  on  earth  had  never  learned  to 
read  and  write,  to  be  unable  to  communicate  through  a  writing  me- 
dium. So  one  whose  education  here  had  been  imperfect  would 
spell  badly  and  use  bad  grammar,  and  one  knowing  but  little  of  our 
language  would  speak  in  broken  English;  and  one.  Lord  Bacou, 
for  instance,  who  in  life  had  been  used  to  a  different  idiom  from 
from  that  now  prevailing,  would  yet  speak  in  modern  English 
Americanized,  with  here  and  there  a  relic  of  the  expressions  he 
had  used  in  the  olden  time. 

There  is  another  cause,  and  that  is,  the  passiveness  or  other- 
wise of  the  mediums  to  the  influence  at  work  with  them.  Some- 
times they  resist  with  a  very  determined  will,  and  it  is  impossible 
for  others,  and  often  even  for  ourselves,  to  know  when  the  opera- 
tion of  that  will  is  entirely  overcome,  or  how  much  of  its  influence 
may  hang  around  and  stain  the  communication  with  its  taint  of 
mortal  life.      Sometimes  timidity  and  diffidence   will  color  and 


INTRODUCTION.  &' 

sometimes  vanity  and  fanaticism  distort  the  teaching  of  the  spirits. 
Often  the  want  of  confidence  will  warp  them ;  for,  strange  as  it  may- 
appear  !  there  are  mediums  who  are  not  Spiritualists,  and  who,  un- 
accustomed to  the  examination  of  their  own  minds,  can  not  dis- 
criminate between  their  operation  and  the  spirit-influence  ;  and  as 
often  an  overweening  credulity  will  put  awry  that  which  was  de- 
signed to  be  plain  and  straightforward. 

There  is,  it  is  true,  a  simple  remedy  for  much  of  this,  and  that 
is,  entire  passiveness  in  receiving  the  influence  and  the  full  and 
active  exercise  of  the  reason  in  weighing  afterward  what  it  has 
effected.  But  unhappily  there  are  many  who  do  not  know  the 
remedy,  and  more  still  who  do  not  apply  it.  The  intercourse  is 
beyond  conception  fascinating,  and  there  are  not  a  few  who  in- 
dulge a  selfish  gratification  in  yielding  to  it.  It  is  never  safe  to 
do  so,  for  thus  many  are  misled  and  many  are  disturbed  and  driven 
off  by  incongruities  which  could  easily  be  avoided. 

There  is  another  consideration  still,  which  even  more  fatally 
affects  the  reliability  of  the  intercourse,  and  is  very  often  over- 
looked. 

We  are  taught  that  the  intercourse  is  not  supernatural — not  the 
result  of  the  suspension  of  nature's  laws,  but  the  product  of  those 
laws  and  of  their  legitimate  action.  As  yet,  we  are  in  a  great 
measure  ignorant  of  those  laws  and  of  their  mode  of  action  ;  but 
the  results  we  see  and  can  know — the  effects  are  facts  which, 
perceptible  to  our  senses,  appeal  to  our  reason  and  demand  the 
action  of  our  judgments.  From  all  that  we  have  yet  witnessed,  we 
are  warranted  in  the  belief  that  the  intercourse  is  in  obedience  to, 
and  not  in  contravention  of,  natural  laws — that  so  far  as  we  are 
concerned  on  earth,  mediumship  is  owing  to  physical  organization, 
more  than  it  is  to  moral  causes,,  and  that  all  in  the  spirit-world,  the 
unprogressed  as  well  as  the  progressed,  have  the  power  of  com- 
muning with  and  influencing  us  in  a  greater  or  less  degree. 

So,  too,  we  are  taught  that  there  are  spirits  in  the  next  state 
of  existence  whose  propensities  are  evil.  Not  that  they  are  a 
distinct  race  of  beings,  known  in  the  old  theology  as  Devils,  and 
represented  as  a  creation  distinct  from,  and  independent  of,  the 
human  family,  but  men  and  women  who  have  lived  on  earth,  per- 
verted and  distorted  morally,  and  have  passed  away  from  this  prim- 
ary existence  with  those  perversions  and  distortions  unchanged  and 


4^%  INTEODUCTION. 

aggravated  by  the  desolation  and  misery,  apparently  to  them  with- 
out end  and  without  hope,  in  which  they  find  themselves  existing. 
Selfish,  intolerant,  cruel,  malicious,  and  delighting  in  human  suffer- 
ing upon  earth,  they  continue  the  same,  for  awhile  at  least,  in  their 
spirit-home.  And  having  in  common  with  others  the  power  of 
reaching  mankind  through  this  newly-developed  instrumentality, 
they  use  it  for  the  gratification  of  their  predominant  propensities, 
with  even  less  regard  than  they  had  on  earth,  for  the  suffering 
which  they  may  inflict  on  others. 

Some  instances  of  this  are  disclosed  in  the  following  papers,  but 
many,  very  many  more  are  occurring  to  the  knowledge  of  inquirers 
everywhere,  and  there  are  perhaps  few  circles  where  first  or  last 
this  has  not  been  in  some  form  or  other  apparent. 

It  can  not  be  difficult  to  discover  in  such  a  state  of  things  the  ma- 
terial, not  only  for  much  positive  mischief,  but  the  cause  of  many  of 
the  crudities  and  contradictions  which  so  often  disturb  the  super- 
ficial observer,  and  sometimes  mislead  the  credulous  and  confiding. 

This  influence  displays  itself  in  various  forms,  but  scarcely  ever 
without  tending  to  impair  confidence  in  the  manifestations.  Some- 
times it  is  with  a  clearly  marked  purpose  of  evil,  avowed  with  a 
hardihood  which  smacks  of  the  vilest  condition  of  mortal  society. 
Sometimes  its  fell  purposes  are  most  adroitly  vailed  under  the  cover 
of  good  intentions.  Sometimes  it  is  restless  and  uneasy — "  to  one 
thing  constant  never."  At  other  times  it  is  calm,  considerate,  and 
persevering.  Now  it  contents  itself  with  finding  amusement  in 
the  harmless  perplexities  to  which  it  subjects  us,  and  anon  it  is 
satisfied  only  when  it  can  goad  on  its  victim  to  crime,  and  rejoice 
in  the  agony  it  produces. 

But,  whatever  its  form,  its  existence  is  too  strongly  demon- 
strated to  doubt  it,  and  while  it  shows  to  us  the  realization  of  the 
"  roaring  lion  seeking  whom  it  may  devour"  of  Holy  Writ,  or  "  the 
instigation  of  the  devil"  preserved  still  in  our  old  law  forms,  we 
have  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  now  we  can  be  conscious  of 
its  presence,  and  guard  against  its  approaches.  We  can  detect 
when  it  is  near  us,  and,  no  longer  obliged  to  battle  with  it  in  the 
darkness  of  our  own  fears  and  ignorance,  we  can  meet  it  boldly, 
and  contend  against  it  successfully.  And,  above  all,  we  can  ex- 
pose its  unhallowed  intrusion  upon  the  communion  which  is  other- 
wise calculated  to  lift  our  hearts  upward  to  our  God. 


INTEODUCTION.  4S 

It  is  not  however  alone  from  those  evilly  disposed  that  this 
element  of  distrust  flows.  There  must  of  necessity  be  in  the 
spirit-world  those  who  are  in  every  imaginable  condition  of  devel- 
opment, and  who  occupy  every  imaginable  position  on  the  ascend- 
ing plane  of  progression.  Some  are  more,  and  some  le.ss,  ignorant 
than  others  ;  some  more  prudent  and  careful ;  some  more  zealous 
and  inconsiderate  ;  some  impulsive  and  rapid,  and  some  calm  and 
deliberate  ;  in  fine,  with  every  conceivable  variety  of  attribute  and 
faculty.  Of  necessity,  the  communications  from  each  of  these 
must  be  aflected,  as  all  human  intercourse  is,  by  the  peculiar  char- 
acteristics of  each  individual.  And  while  from  this  source  must 
necessarily  flow  an  element  of  uncertainty,  we  are  taught  to  avoid 
its  inconveniences  and  its  hazards,  by  applying  to  it,  as  we  do 
when  weighing  human  testimony,  the  sagacity  and  searching 
power  of  our  reason. 

There  is  yet  another  consideration  not  to  be  disregarded.  I  al- 
lude to  false  communications  and  fabricated  mediumship.  Such 
instances  have  been  known  among  us  ;  some  where  the  medium- 
ship  was  entirely  an  assumption  of  the  pretender,  and  unworthy 
of  any  confidence.  In  all  religions  ever  known  to  man,  hypocrites 
have  been  found  ;  and  while  we  have  no  reason  to  expect  ours  to 
be  exempt  from  this  common  lot  of  humanity,  we  have  abundant 
reason  to  know  that  it  is  comparatively  harmless  with  us,  and 
must  be  still  more  so  as  we  advance  in  the  power  which  is  dealing 
with  us  and  which  is  enabling  us  to  read  our  own  hearts  and  the 
hearts  of  our  fellow-men.  But  there  are  false  communications 
which  are  not  intentionally  so.  Some  arising  from  a  mistake  of 
the  spirit  who  is  communing,  and  some  from  the  error  of  the  me- 
dium who  has  not  yet  so  studied  himself  as  to  be  able  to  distin- 
guish the  innate  action  of  his  own  mind  from  the  impress  of  spirit- 
influence. 

Another  consideration  is,  that  the  character  of  the  mediumship 
is  frequently  changing  in  the  same  individual,  and  that  no  two  me- 
diums are  precisely  alike.  From  this  latter  cause  there  must  of 
necessity  arise  an  eflfect  producing  some  uncertainty.  It  is  as  if 
one  on  earth  were  sending  the  same  message  through  diflferent 
persons.  No  two  would  deliver  it  in  precisely  the  same  words, 
unless  they  had  learned  it  by  rote.  The  main  idea  might  be  trans- 
mitted correctly  enough,  but  it  would  be  liable  to  various  shadings, 


44  INTKODUCTIOX. 

from  the  diflferent  capacity  of  the  messengers  to  comprehend  it 
and  from  the  variety  of  their  power  of  language  to  utter  it.  ^3 

The  changes  in  the  "medium  are  often  imperceptible  at  first,  and 
are  made  manifest  only  in  the  efiect  produced,  and  at  other  times 
they  are  very  great,  without  any  one's  knowing  when  they  occur- 
red. I  can  best  illustrate  this  by  a  brief  account  of  one  medium 
whose  whole  progress  I  have  witnessed  with  intense  interest. 

She  was  a  young  girl  of  tolerable  education  and  warmly  attach- 
ed to  the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  Her  church  told  her  to  disbelieve 
in  Spiritualism,  and  she  refused  to  witness  any  of  the  manifesta- 
tions, though  they  were  frequent  all  around  her.  At  length  the 
house  in  which  she  resided  became  what  in  former  days  would 
have  been  called  haunted.  It  continued  so  for  nearly  six  montlis, 
during  which  she  heard  strange  somids  and  witnessed  various  acts, 
which,  she  became  satisfied,  were  not  the  product  of  any  mortal 
agency,  but  were  evidently  intelligent.  Her  curiosity  was  excited, 
and  she  sought  a  medium.  She  soon  saw  enough  to  convince  her 
of  a  spiritual  agency,  and  very  soon  became  herself  a  medium. 
It  is  now  about  a  year  since  she  was  developed  as  such,  and  her 
mediumship  in  that  period  has  assumed  many  forms. 

At  first  she  was  violently  agitated  in  her  person.  She  soon  wrote 
mechanically  ;  that  is,  without  any  volition  on  her  part,  and  with- 
out any  consciousness  of  what  she  was  penning.  Having  a  strong 
will,  she  was  able  at  any  moment,  by  exercising  it,  to  arrest  the 
manifestation.  She  next  became  a  speaking  medium.  She  was 
not  entranced  as  some  are,  into  a  state  of  unconsciousness,  but 
was  fully  aware  of  all  she  was  saying  and  of  all  that  occurred 
around  her.  She,  however,  had  not  advanced  far  enough  to  know 
the  source  whence  came  the  thoughts  which  she  was  uttering,  and 
she  imagined  they  might  be  the  product  of  her  own  mind.  To 
convince  her  upon  that  subject,  she  was  shown,  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  her  own  mind,  all  the  particulars  of  the  wreck  of  the 
steamer  San  Francisco — that  her  upper  deck  had  been  swept  off" 
and  a  certain  number  had  thus  perished  ;  that  the  residue  of  those 
on  board  had  been  taken  oflf  in  three  vessels,  and  were  then  on 
their  way  in  different  directions  for  different  ports,  and  that  the 
steamer  had  been  abandoned  on  the  sea.  All  this  was  several 
days  before  any  news  had  reached  the  land  of  the  accident  to  that 
vessel,  and  she  was  told  to  wait  and  see  if  the  information  which 


I  N  T  K  ()  D  U  C  T  I  O  N .  45 

had  been  given  her,  and  which  was  much  more  detailed  than  I 
have  written,  was  not  strictly  accurate,  and  then  determine  for 
herself  whether  it  was  her  own  mind.  A  few  days  brought  minute 
confirmation  of  every  incident  which  had  been  disclosed  to  her. 

Since  then  this  faculty  of  knowing  things  at  a  distance  has 
greatly  improved.  She  saw  the  wreck  of  the  Arctic  when  it  was 
occurring.  She  saw  and  detailed  with  great  accuracy,  as  subse- 
quent accounts  showed,  the  recent  collision  on  the  Canada  Rail- 
road, and  that  a  few  moments  after  it  happened,  and  while  the 
dead  and  wounded  were  being  lifted  out  of  the  ruins.  She  has 
seen  and  described  the  state  of  things  at  Sebastopol  and  its  vicin- 
ity, and  she  has  frequently  described  scenes  and  conversations 
going  on  at  the  moment,  at  the  distance  of  several  hundred  miles 
from  her  ;  and  all  this,  not  when  she  was  in  a  trance,  but  in  a  state 
of  mental  consciousness  to  all  around  her. 

She  next  became  developed  to  speak  different  languages.  She 
knows  no  language  but  her  own,  and  a  little  smattering  of  board- 
ing-school French.  Yet  she  has  spoken  in  nine  or  ten  different 
tongues,  sometimes  for  an  hour  at  a  time,  with  the  ease  and  fluency 
of  a  native.  It  is  not  unfrequent  that  foreigners  converse  with 
their  spirit-friends  through  her  in  their  own  language.  A  recent 
instance  occurred  where  a  Greek  gentleman  had  several  inter- 
views, and  for  several  hours  at  a  time  carried  on  the  conversation 
on  his  part  in  Greek,  and  received  his  answers  sometimes  in  that 
language  and  sometimes  in  English ;  yet  until  then  she  had  never 
heard  a  word  of  modern  Greek  spoken. 

About  the  same  time  her  musical  powers  became  developed. 
She  has  repeatedly  sang  in  foreign  languages,  such  as  Italian,  In- 
dian, German,  and  Polish,  and  it  is  now  not  unfrequent  that  she 
sings  in  her  own  language,  improvising  both  words  and  tune  as 
she  proceeds — ^the  melody  being  very  unique  and  perfect,  and  the 
sentiments  in  the  highest  degree  elevating  and  ennobling. 

Her  next  advance  was  to  see  spirits  and  spiritual  scenes,  and 
now  scarcely  a  day  passes  that  she  does  not  describe  the  spirits 
who  are  present,  entire  strangers  to  her,  yet  very  readily  recog- 
nized and  identified  by  their  inquiring  friends.  This  has  of  late 
been  witnessed  by  very  many  persons,  and  many  an,  unbeliever  in 
spiritual  intercourse  has  been  overwhelmed  with  the  evidence  of 
identity  which  thus  by  sight  and  by  communion  has  been  presented. 


46 


INTRODUCTION. 


At  one  time  she  was  used  as  the  instrument  for  delivering  long 
and  didactic  discourses  on  the  principles  of  our  faith.  Now  she  is 
mostly  used  to  give  moral  and  mental  tests,  which  to  many  are 
very  satisfactory.  At  one  time  she  saw  chiefly  allegorical  pic- 
tures ;  now  she  sees  the  reality  of  spiritual  life.  Once  she  wrote 
mechanically,  but  now  by  impression,  knowing  the  thoughts  she 
pens.  Formerly  it  was  difficult  for  spirits  to  converse  through 
her ;  but  now  conversation,  with  any  one,  however  much  a 
stranger  to  her,  goes  on  with  a  freedom  and  ease  most  gratifying 
to  the  investigator. 

These  various  changes  have  been  wrought  generally  without  any 
apparent  external  cause,  and  have  been  unknown  until  they  ap- 
peared. But  what  internal  process  may  have  been  going  on  to 
produce  them  we  do  not  know,  nor  how  far  its  workings  may  at 
the  time  affect  the  mediumship.  We  simply  know  that  they  are, 
and  as  they  may  affect  the  intercourse,  we  feel  an  admonition  to 
greater  care  and  caution. 

I  do  not  mention  this  case  as  a  solitary  or  extraordinary  instance 
of  spirit-power,  for  I  am  aware  of  many  others  of  a  similar  char- 
acter. But  I  refer  to  it  because  it  is  an  apt  illustration  of  the  view 
[  am  endeavoring  to  present,  and  because  the  whole  development 
having  occurred  under  my  own  observation,  I  incur  the  less  hazard 
of  being  mistaken. 

From  this  whole  class  of  cases  I  draw  two  inferences,  one  which 
I  have  already  mentioned — namely,  that  the  communications  may 
be  affected  by  these  changes  ;  and  the  other,  that  the  faculty  of 
mediumship  is  like  all  our  other  faculties,  capable  of  advancement 
and  increase  by  education  and  training.  The  original  power  of 
becoming  a  medium  may  be  owing  to  some  peculiar  organization 
of  the  individual,  like  the  organs  of  language,  of  music,  of  imita- 
tion, an.d  the  like  ;  but,  like  them,  the  faculty  is  capable  of  great 
improvement  by  a  due  course  of  treatment.  If  this  be  so,  then, 
antil  the  medial  power  be  developed  to  its  state  of  perfection — 
and  what  that  may  be  we  do  not  yet  knoAv — there  must  of  neces- 
sity be  great  changes  in  its  exercise,  which  can  not  with  safety  be 
disregarded. 

The  changes  from  this  cause  are  not  confined  to  individual 
cases,  but  they  are  visible  in  the  whole  scope  of  the  intercourse. 
At  first  the  manifestations  were  generally  made  in  the  rudest  and 


INTRODUCTION.  47 

simplest  physical  form,  addressing  themselves  mainly  to  the 
senses.  But  as  minds  became  convinced  of  the  reality  of  spirit- 
communion,  and  stept  over  the  threshold  of  the  new  school,  seek- 
ing the  higher  truths  which  it  was  apparent  must  flow  from  that 
reality,  there  was  a  demand  for  a  more  elevated  and  more  facile 
mode  of  conveying  them  to  us.  The  supply  at  once  met  the  de- 
mand. And  there  is,  in  my  view,  no  stronger  evidence  of  the 
divine  origin  of  this  mighty  movement  than  is  to  be  found  in  the 
fact,  that  as  the  mind  grasps  the  knowledge  profl'ered  it,  and  craves 
for  more,  the  means  are  at  once  provided  for  satisfying  that  crav- 
ing, and  those  means  very  often  unlike  any  device  of  man's  inge- 
nuity, and  unlike  aught  previously  known  to  him. 

How  often  has  the  most  determined  unbeliever  been  struck  down 
from  his  self-complacent  but  giddy  height  by  a  power  which  he 
could  not  control !  How  often  has  the  skeptical  medium  been 
overpowered,  even  in  his  physical  action,  by  an  influence  unseen, 
and  to  him  before  unknown !  How  often  has  the,  astuteness  'of 
the  keenest  doubter  been  set  at  naught  by  an  intelligence  whose 
capacity  he  could  not  measure,  and  whose  source  he  could  not 
fathom,  but  whose  presence  he  could  not  question  !  How  have  the 
timid,  the  weak,  and  the  halting  been  strengthened  and  sustained 
until  they  could  easily  brave  all  that  the  opposition  of  an  angry 
world  could  inflict !  How  have  the  strong,  towering  in  the  might 
of  their  own  knowledge,  been  laid  prostrate  at  the  feet  of  those 
whom  they  regarded  as  most  ignorant !  And  how  invariably  and 
inflexibly  has  conviction  ever  followed  investigation ! 

I  for  one  see  and  acknowledge  in  this  a  power  mightier  than 
belongs  to  mere  earthly  humanity,  and  I  bend  in  humble  adoration 
in  its  presence,  but  too  conscious  that  without  its  aid  I  can  not  grasp 
the  mighty  truths  it  can  teach.  But  those  truths  come,  and  by  in- 
strumentalities so  admirably  fashioned  to  the  work  in  hand,  so 
perfectly  adapted  to  the  occasion,  that  to  deny  their  spiritual 
origin  involves  the  assumption  of  a  power  in  the  human  frame 
which  would  tax  the  credulity  far  beyond  aught  demanded  by  a 
belief  in  Spiritualism. 

But  this  is,  in  a  measure,  a  digression  from  the  topic  on  which 
I  intended  to  dwell.  My  purpose  was,  as  I  invoked  on  the  one 
hand  certain  fragments  of  corroborative  evidence,  so  it  was  due  to 
candor  and  to  the  spirit  of  fair  inquiry,  by  which  I  hope  I  am  gov- 


48  INTRODUCTION. 

erned,  to  state  on  the  other  those  things  which  are  calculated  to 
detract  from  the  force  of  that  evidence. 

I  do  not  mean  here  to  say  that  I  have  enumerated  all  the  im- 
peaching evidence  that  may  be  found  in  this  matter.  I  am,  on  the 
contrary,  aware  that  I  have  not.  nor  can  I  well  do  so  in  the  limits 
allotted  to  this  paper.  For,  as  no  two  mediums  are  exactly  alike 
in  their  manifestations,  and  there  are  now  thousands  of  them ;  as 
no  two  communications  through  the  same  mediums  are  ever  ex- 
actly alike,  because  ever  liable  to  be  affected  by  the  existing  con- 
dition of  both  mind  and  body ;  as  the  spirits  who  commune  are  no 
two  of  them  alike,  and  are  now  numbered  by  tens  of  thousands ; 
and  as  the  variety  in  the  source  as  well  as  in  the  instrumentality 
of  the  communication  is  as  vast  as  that  which  is  to  be  found  in 
the  human  character  everywhere,  so  there  must  of  necessity  be 
many  other  causes  to  warn  the  well-regulated  mind  to  beware  of 
credulity  and  fanaticism,  and  to  weigh  all  things  carefully  and  well 
before  yielding  belief. 

To  do  this  there  is  but  one  safe  course,  and  that  is,  to  apply  to 
the  evidences  which  Spiritualism  proffers  the  same  acuteness  of 
reasoning,  the  same  deliberation  of  judgment  which  it  is  necessary 
for  us  to  apply  to  all  other  evidences  presented  to  the  human  mind ; 
to  test  them  as  we  would  test  any  human  evidence  on  any  topic, 
and  apply  to  them  the  same  touchstone  which  for  ages  we  have 
been  called  upon  to  apply  to  the  evidences  of  Christianity.*  Doing 
this  wisely  and  discreetly,  the  rational  mind  will  find  no  difficulty 
in  arriving  at  a  satisfactory  conclusion,  even  amid  the  incongru- 
ities which  Spiritualism  in  its  crude  and  infant  existence  may 
present. 

But  I  dismiss  this  topic,  lest  I  may  dwell  upon  it  too  long  for  the 
patience  of  the  reader.  My  intention  was  originally  to  devote  a 
large  portion  of  this  paper  to  an  enumeration  of  the  benefits  that 
must  flow  from  the  adoption  of  our  faith.  But  my  fellow-laborer 
has  performed  that  task  so  well  in  his  introduction,  that  I  am  saved 

*  Since  I  have  been  a  Spiritualist  I  have  occupied  some  of  my  time  in  repe- 
rusing  "  Paley's  Evidences  of  Christianity,"  and  I  was  struck  with  the  appli- 
cability of  the  whole  reasoning  to  the  evidences  of  Spiritualism.  I  recommend 
a  reference  to  that  work,  especially  to  those  who  are  disposed  to  quarrel  with 
our  faith  because  it  refuses  to  save  them  from  the  responsibility  of  thinking 
'  for  themselves. 


INTEODUCTION.       '  49 

from  doing  more  than  dwelling  a  moment  on  one  or  two  of  its 
leading  considerations. 

One  is,  that  Spiritualism  proves  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  It 
does  not  ask  us  to  believe  it  upon  the  authority  of  its  mere  asser- 
tion ;  it  does  not  merely  present  to  us  the  abstract  reasoning  which 
to  many  minds  in  all  ages  bas  been  so  unsatisfactory  ;  it  does  not 
merely  appeal  to  nature  and  her  laws  and  their  operation,  which 
in  this  age  have  been  so  powerless  to  work  out  the  end  in  view  ;  it 
does  not  merely  point  to  the  golden  vaults  of  the  heart,  and  seek  a 
response  from  its  awakened  instincts,  but  it  proves  it  in  a  manner 
most  satisfactory  to  the  intellect,  even  when  enveloped  in  its  ma- 
terial surroundings — proves  it  by  a  direct  and  unanswerable  appeal 
to  the  senses — proves  it  as  the  Creator  proves  that  the  sun  shines 
at  noonday  and  the  stars  sparkle  at  night — proves  it  as  nature  dem- 
onstrates the  existence  of  the  storm  and  the  thunder — proves  it 
as  matter  makes  manifest  to  us  its  own  reality — proves  it  through 
ihe  instrumentality  of  our  material  organs — and  proves  it  as  many 
other  things  are  made  apparent  to  us,  so  that  we  may  say,  not 
merely  that  "we  believe,"  but  that  "we  know."  And  what  is 
most  interesting  is,  that  the  evidence  is  within  every  man's  reach. 
He  has  but  to  knock,  and  it  will  be  opened  to  him — he  has  but  to 
ask,  and  he  may  receive.  No  man  lives  but  he  may  haA'e,  if  he 
pleases,  evidence  most  satisfactory,  that  the  friends  whom  he  has 
laid  in  the  grave  do  yet  live  and  can  commune  with  him. 

This  is  a  bold  assertion  to  make,  but  I  make  it  after  years  of 
careful  investigation,  conducted  under  most  favorable  circumstances, 
after  having  witnessed  innumerable  manifestations,  and  after  hav- 
ing beheld  the  intercourse  in  all  its  known  phases.  I  make  it 
deliberately,  and  as  the  result  to  which  my  examination  and  that 
of  many,  very  many  others  has  conducted  me,  and  I  know  I  can 
not  be  mistaken.  Whether  I  am  or  not,  the  means  are  fortunately 
at  hand  to  determine.  I  repeat,  they  are  within  every  man's  reach. 
He  has  but  to  stretch  forth  his  arm  and  be  satisfied.  The  tree  of 
knowledge  is  planted  in  our  midst  and  each  can  pluck  for  himself 
of  its  fruit  and  eat.  True,  now,  as  of  old,  the  serpent  of  evil  does 
coil  its  loathsome  form  around  its  outer  branches,  but  the  fruit  is 
at  length  beyond  the  reach  of  its  poison — the  flower  blossoms  in 
despite  of  its  pestiferous  breath,  and  man,  when  he  approaches  its 
grateful  shade,  may  yet  crush  the  tempter's  head  beneath  his  heel 

4 


\ 


50  'INTKODUCTION. 

If  this  be  so,  can  we  be  sufficiently  grateful  to  the  Bounteous 
Giver  that  he  has  at  length  in  His  mercy  removed  the  murky  cloud 
of  infidelity  which  was  casting  its  dark  pall  over  the  human  heart, 
crushing  it  out  of  the  very  form  of  humanity  amid  the  crumbling 
ruins  of  its  own  happiness  ?  And  can  we  reject  the  precious 
boon  which  comes  on  angels'  wings  to  waft  us  nearer  to  our  God  ? 
There  may,  indeed,  be  difficulties  in  the  way,  obstacles  to  en- 
counter, inconveniences  to  suffer,  but  to  the  anxious  inquirer  they 
will  not  be  insurmountable.  It  is  possible  to  overcome  them,  and 
then  will  follow  conviction, bearing  in  its  train  peace  and  love  to  man. 
But  this  is  not  the  chief  benefit  of  Spiritualism.  It  not  only 
teaches  us  that  we  do  indeed  live  after  death,  but  it  teaches  us  what 
that  life  is,  affording  us  the  inestimable  advantage  of  knowing  how 
properly  to  prepare  for  it.  A  part  of  that  knowledge  has  already 
been  given,  not  merely  in  these  pages,  but  in  the  numerous  pub- 
lications and  discourses  which  have  been  used  as  the  means  of 
conveying  it  to  us.  More  will  yet  in  due  time  be  given  ;  for  it  is 
the  design  of  this  great  work  to  open  to  us  a  view  of  the  intimate 
relation  ever  existing  between  us  in  the  mortal  form  and  the  spirit- 
world,  and  its  ever-present  influence  over  us  for  good  or  for  evil, 
and  a  revelation  of  what  the  world  is  into  which  we  shall  be  ush- 
ered when  we  shuffle  off  this  mortal  coil. 

Can  we  estimate  too  highly  the  value  of  this  knowledge  ?  Can 
we  set  too  high  a  price  upon  that  which  teaches  us  the  true  pur- 
poses of  our  existence  upon  earth,  and  how  to  shape  it  so  as  most 
effectually  to  secure  our  everlasting  happiness  ?  Can  we  too 
highly  value  that  which  rolls  away  from  our  minds  the  ignorance 
arid  mystery  which  have  hitherto  brooded  over  us,  and  reveals  to 
us  the  destiny  which  is  before  us  ?  that  which  answers  the  craving 
want  of  the  human  heart,  and  so  speaks  to  the  spirit  of  the  Creator, 
which  slumbers  there,  .that  starting  from  the  confines  of  its  mortal 
chamber,  it  springs  forth  to  meet  its  God,  and  returns  to  its  home 
laden  with  his  blessing  ? 

Be  the  estimate  which  man  may  put  upon  this  revelation  what  it 
may,  whether  it  be  welcomed  or  be  crucified,  it  is  coming — com- 
ing in  the  panoply  of  the  Infinite  Father — coming  with  healing  on 
its  wings  to  redeem  man  from  his  wanderings,  and  enable  him  to 
stand  erect  in  the  presence  of  his  God  redeemed  by  his  freedom. 

J.  W.  EDMONDS. 

New  York,  Becember  17,  1854. 


INTRODUCTION.  61 

P.  S. — In  the  Appendix  to  our  former  volume  was  inserted  a 
letter  from  Governor  Tallmadge,  to  the  National  Intelligencer 
newspaper,  in  which  the  name  of  Lord  Brougham  was  mentioned 
in  these  words  :  "  Recent  accounts  inform  us  that  Lord  Brougham 
and  Dr.  Ashburner,  of  England,  and  others  of  highest  rank  and  in- 
tellect, have  become  converts  to  it,  and  that  it  has  engaged  the 
earnest  attention  of  the  most  eminent  German  philosophers.  And 
when  we  hear  of  such  '  aged  grandmothers,'  such  '  youthful  pa- 
trons of  the  band-box,  and  worshipers  of  lace  and  ribbons,'  and 
such  '  weak-minded  excuses  for  manhood,'  with  '  an  ass's  append- 
age to  their  heads,'  as  Lord  Brougham  and  Dr.  Ashburner  of 
England,  and  Judge  Edmonds  and  others  of  the  highest  order  of 
intellect  in  this  country  becoming  converts  to  it."  etc. 

It  seems  that  Lord  B.  is  dissatisfied  with  the  mention  of  his 
name  in  this  connection,  and  I  publish  the  following  correspond- 
ence as  the  most  effectual  mode  I  can  adopt  to  remove  the  impres- 
sion of  which  he  complains  : 

WASHiJVGTOif,  Jan.  20tli,  1854. 
Dear  Sin — I  received  by  the  last  steamer  a  letter  from  Lord  Brougham, 
which  it  seems  to  be  his  wish  should  be  communicated  to  you.  ' 
I  accordingly  inclose  you  a  copy,  and  I  remain  respectfully  yours, 

Edward  Everett.   • 
Judge  Edmonds. 


Cannes,  Dec.  22,  1853. 
My  Dear  Mr.  E, — Will  you  excuse  me  if  I  give  you  a  little  trouble .'    A 
friend  in  England,  on  whose  accuracy  I  can  rely — not  having  myself  seen  the 
work — informs  me  that  Judge  Edmonds  has  mentioned  me  among  those  whom 
he  gives  as  believers  in  what  are  called  the  "  spiritual  manifestations,"  and  I 
am  desirous  that  he  should  be  set  right,  as  some  one  has  misinformed  him  on 
the  subject.     There  is  not  the  least  foundation  for  the  statement.     From  all  I 
have  heard  of  the  Judge,  I  have  great  respect  for  his  learning,  his  abilities, 
and  his  character ;  but  not  having  the  honor  of  his  acquaintance,  I  must  beg 
of  you  to  set  him  right  for  me.     I  have  no  title  to  pronounce  any  opinion  upon 
the  point  in  dispute,  but  only  to  state  the  fact,  that  I  am  not  among  those  who 
have  given,  or  who  have  formed  an  opinion  in  the  affirmative. 
Believe  me,  sincerely  yours, 
[Signed]  H.  Brotjgham. 


New  York,  Jan.  28,  1854. 
Hon.  E.  Everett,  U.  S.  Senate : 

Sir—1  do  not  at  all  know  to  what  Lord  Brougham  alludes,  for  I  am  not 
conscious  that  his  name  is  anywhere  mentioned  in  my  book,  nor  could  I  permit 


\ 


62 


INTEODUCTION 


myself  to  use  any  gentleman's  name,  in  tlie  manner  be  supposes  I  have  used  it, 
"without  Ills  consent. 

Still,  ag  the  book  is  the  work  of  several  hands,  and  others  besides  myself 
examined  the  proof,  it  may  be  that  his  name  has  crept  in  without  my  know- 
ing it. 

I  have  not  had  time  since  the  receipt  of  your  note  to  read  the  book,  to  see  if 
I  can  find  his  name,  nor  shall  I  have  time  for  several  weeks  to  come.  I  will, 
however,  avail  myself  of  my  earliest  leisure  for  that  purpose,  and  if  I  find  it, 
I  will  hasten  to  make  the  amende  honorable,  and  protect  him  as  far  as  liea  in 
my  power  from  the  disastrous  consequences  of  his  being  identified  against  his 
will  with  a  cause  which  is  unpopular  only  with  those  who  refuse  to  examine  it. 
Very  i-espectfuliy  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  W.  Edmonds 


INTKODUCTION  OF  DR.  DEXTER, 


One  of  the  strongest  impressions  whibh  rests  upon  the  reflecting 
mind,  when  man  surveys  himself,  the  world  on  which  he  exists,  and 
the  countless  changes  which  are  continually  taking  place,  relates  to 
the  imperfection  of  human  knowledge.     But  as  the  human  mind  is 
constituted  for  progress,  and  can  find  no  rest  in  the  past,  but  is 
ever  striving  to  discover  from  the  evidences  of  the  present  what 
are  the  realities  of  the  future,  it  is  not  singular  that  reasonable  and 
earnest  inquiry  should  be  made  to  understand  those  subjects  about 
which  nature  and  revelation  are  apparently  silent.     It  is  uniformly 
assumed  by  philosophers  and  divines,  and  perhaps  by  civilized 
nations  everywhere,  that  the  worth,  the  dignity,  the  importance  of 
man  lie   in  his  rational   immortal  nature,  and  that  though  death 
is  everywhere,  man  can  not  die.     He  exists  forever,  and  therefore 
he  must  think ;  and  because  he  is  capable  of  originating  thought, 
and  exercising  it  in  the  investigation  of  the  realities  of  universal 
nature  and  of  his  own  selfhood,  the  knowledge  which  he  thus  ac- 
quires encourages  him  to  extend  his  inquiries  beyond  the  limits  of 
material  life,  and  to  ask  what  is  the   life  hereafter?     If  we  are 
forced  to  admit  the  imperfection  of  human   wisdom  in  all   that 
relates  to  those  principles  which  regulate  and  control  the  material 
world,  how  much  more  limited  has  been  our  knowledge  of  that 
world  which  we  are  taught  by  our  own  innate  consciousness  and 
by  revelation  will  be  the  abode  of  that  immortal  spirit  after  it  shall 
have  left  the  body  ! 

But  from  that  period,  comparatively  regent,  when  man  began 
by  new  and  more  certain  methods  to  explain  and  understand  the 


54  INTKODUCTION. 

manifestations  of  the  Divine  intelligence,  and,  inspired  by  the  noble 
purposes  opening  before  him,  to  speculate  on  the  phenomena  which 
he  everywhere  witnessed,  humbly  and  diligently  seeking  to  unravel 
the  mysteries  both  of  material  and  spiritual  life,  thus  to  catch  a 
glimpse,  however  dim  and  distant,  of  their  glorious  Author,  how 
great  has  been  the  change  in  his  views  and  ideas !  Instead  of 
barren  generalities — of  vague  classifications — of  propositions  prom- 
ising every  thing  to  the  ear,  but  performing  comparatively  little  to 
the  senses — of  maxims  based  on  pure  assumption,  and  argument 
taking  its  stand  on  the  basis  of  our  presumed  ignorance,  we  find 
that  it  has  been  practicable  for  human  faculties  to  attain  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  truths  based  on  a  foundation  co-extensive  with  the  uni- 
verse, and  yet  applicable  to  the  realities  of  the  material  and 
spiritual  world. 

On  the  ordinary  grounds  of  contemplation,  it  may  well  be 
accounted  strange  that  this  great  result  of  human  research  and 
comparison  has  not  satisfied  every  rational  mind  of  the  intimate 
connection  of  the  spiritual  with  the  material.  •  The  evidence  of 
such  a  connection  confronts  man  at  all  points  of  his  consciousness 
and  his  experience.  It  meets  him  on  every  path  of  science,  of 
history,  and  of  social  and  individual  life.  It  is  blended  with  every 
utterance  which  reaches  the  human  mind,  and  continually  new 
testimony  is  arising  which  even  noAv  is  speaking  in  a  voice  of 
deep  and  awful  intensity,  proclaiming  the  glorious  and  yet  joyful 
revelation,  not  alone  of  the  Divine  intervention  in  the  affairs  of 
human  beings,  but  that  the  spirits  of  our  departed,  friends  can  come 
back  to  earth  and  hold  positive  and  direct  communion  with  those 
whom  they  have  there  loved.  However  conclusive  the  testimony 
on  which  this  revelation  has  been  founded,  and  the  support  which 
it  has  received  from  direct  and  collateral  manifestations  in  all  ages 
of  the  world,  it  has  none  the  less  been  opposed  for  its  supposed  in- 
consistencies and  untruth.  But  the  minds  of  the  vast  body  of 
mankind  rejecting  at  first  any  idea  apparently  contravening  estab- 
lished opinions,  will,  after  careful  and  earnest  examination,  ulti- 
•mately  yield  to  the  evidence  of  facts.  In  respect  of  science,  of 
history,  of  social  life,  this  is  true — and  why  may  it  not  be  true  in 
respect  to  the  disclosures  of  Spiritualism  ?  Simply  regarding  it  as 
the  communication  of  certain  realities  otherwise  unknown,  why, 
confirmed  and  commended  as  it  has  been  by  wonders  so  numerous 


INTRODUCTION.  65 

and  impressive,  may  it  not  ere  long  be  universally  received  as  the 
great  induction  from  which  a  complete  knowledge  of  all  that 
belongs  to  man's  life  on  earth,  and  his  spirit's  existence  in  the 
spheres, may  be  derived? 

It  is  not  my  intention  at  present  to  press  upon  the  reader's  mind 
the  proofs  that  have  convinced  me  of  the  reality  of  spiritual  inter- 
course. I  leave  its  proofs  to  the  inquirer's  own  observation,  for 
the  reason  that  I  am  well  aware  that  no  mere  argument  in  support 
of  its  truthfulness  ever  convinced  any  man.  I  might  state  with  all 
fairness  the  history  of  the  many  circumstances  and  revelations  I 
have  witnessed  and  received,  but  no  inquiring  mind  ought  to  accept 
as  proof  the  evidence  which  has  satisfied  my  mind.  The  oppor- 
tunities for  elaborate  investigation  are  so  numerous,  and  the  advan- 
tages for  every  kind  of  manifestation  so  ready  at  hand,  that  there 
is  no  excuse. for  any  one's  taking  the  "  say  so"  of  any  individual  as 
truth.  Equally  at  the  present  day,  as  in  times  past,  "  He  who 
runs  may  read."  The  evidence  which  I  might  present  as  having 
convinced  my  reason,  would  perhaps  be  rejected  by  other  n?inds 
pursuing  the  same  investigation.  To  satisfy  the  vague  desire 
which  at  times  agitates  the  soul  to  know  what  there  is  of  reality  in 
that  world  which  is  sealed  up  by  death  from  the  examination  of 
the  physical  senses,  requires  something  more  positive  and  defin- 
itive than  those  proofs  which  have  satisfied  other  minds.  To  see 
IS  TO  KNOW.  No  man  has  ever  adopted  this  motto  from  the 
promptings  of  a  mere  external  policy.  It  is  instinctively  recog- 
nized both  by  the  physical  and  spiritual  existences,  as  embracing 
the  only  absolutely  safe  rule  of  guidance,  and  as  such  it  claims  in- 
dividual satisfaction  from  all  suspense  or  doubt.  My  reasons, 
therefore,  for  declining  the  consideration  of  this  portion  of  my  sub- 
ject will,  I  trust,  be  understood. 

I  may  here  incidentally  remark,  however,  that  no  reasonable 
man  can  refuse  to  credit  the  multitude  of  facts  supported  by  the 
testimony  of  as  many  creditable  witnesses,  upon  which  the  belief 
of  present  spiritual  intercourse  is  now  based.  It  can  not  be  denied 
that  there  are  an  immense  number  of  persons,  educated  and  en- 
lightened, receiving  these  communications  and  believing  them  to 
be  true,  after  such  careful  and  earnest  investigation  as  has  scarcely 
been  bestowed  on  the  evidences  of  Christianity  since  its  eternal 
truths  were  first  given  to  the  world — and  it  is  not  irrelevant  to  ask. 


'66  INTRODUCTION. 

in  view  of  the  unexampled  spread  of  this  belief,  and  comparing  its 
progress  with  the  growth  and  increase  of  the  religion  of  Christ, 
what  length  of  time  is  necessary  to  test  its  truth,  and  what  is  at 
the  present  time  the  condition  of  this  subject  in  the  face  of  all  the 
means,  ordinary  and  extraordinary,  which  have  been  opposed  to 
it  ?  I  do  not  offer  these  remarks  as  an  argument  to  convince  any 
one  of  the  truth  of  Spiritualism,  but  as  a  suggestion  for  its  sincere 
exam'ination  ;  for,  to  my  mind,  he  who  is  content,  without  investiga- 
tion, to  regard  the  evidences  that  a  new  revelation  has  been  made 
to  man,  as  a  fallacy,  not  only  assumes  to  himself  the  ability  to  de- 
cide that  about  which  he  is  entirely  ignorant,  but  he  denies  in  this 
assumption  all  the  evidences  on  which  are  founded  the  Christian 
religion  and  the  belief  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 

With  this  preliminary  generalization,  I  come  to  the  more  specific 
object  now  before  me,  which  is  to  consider  the  constantly  recur- 
ring question,  "  What  good  and  useful  purposes  are  being  accom- 
plished by  the  wonderful  manifestations  now  attracting  public 
attention,  even  admitting  them  to  be  of  spiritual  origin  ?" 

In  one  view  of  the  subject  it  seems  strange,  but  in  another  it  is 
not  strange,  that  this  question  should  be  so  frequently  asked.  It 
seems  strange  that,  in  an  age  like  this,  when  the  intellectual  tend- 
encies of  mankind  are  almost  uniformly  toward  materialism,  and 
when  faith  in  a  hereafter  state  of  the  soul  is  fast  losing  its  vitality 
and  its  practical  influence  upon  mankind,  any  one  should  fail  to 
perceive  that  a  positive  demonstration  of  the  reality  of  a  spirit- 
world,  and  its  presence  with,  and  influence  upon,  this  world,  must 
necessarily  be  attended  with  immense  consequences,  either  for 
good  or  for  evil,  and  that  upon  the  whole  the  results  could  scarcely 
be  of  the  latter  character.  Yet,  when  we  consider  that  it  is  a  prom- 
inent and  really  noble  tendency  of  the  properly  conservative  and 
cautious  mind  to  admit  innovations  only  upon  the  definite  and  spe- 
cific proofs  of  their  utility,  we  can  not  wonder  that  minds  of  this 
character  should  require  the  distinct  and  demor>strative  specifica- 
tions of  the  good  results  following,  or  which  are  to  follow,  this 
new  spiritual  unfolding.  A  few  such  specifications,  therefore,  will 
now  be  offered  to  the  consideration  of  the  candid  reader. 

I  will  not  here  stop  to  dwell  upon  the  blessings  of  a  liberation 
from  the  gloomy  fears  of  future  nonentity,  and  the  joys  of  the  ab- 
solute assurance  of  the  continued  existence,  affection,  and  watch- 


INTKODUCTION.  67 

ful  presence  of  beloved  ones  departed  from  the  visible  form,  which 
this  new  unfolding  has  brought  to  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands 
who  were  previously  enveloped  in  the  gloom  of  skepticism.  These, 
in  their  social  intercourse  with  the  world,  are  daily  and  hourly 
telling  their  own  eloquent  story  of  the  benefits  which  they  have 
derived  from  Spiritualism.  0  could  we  but  realize  at  one  grasp  of 
the  concfiptive  faculties,  the  tears  that  have  been  dried,  the  sighs 
that  have  been  hushed,  the  anxieties  that  have  been  soothed,  and 
the  heartfelt  gratitude  that  has  been  made  to  ascend  up  to  God  by 
this  new  outpouring  of  spiritual  light,  and  by  the  blessed  assur- 
ances it  has  brought  of  the  continued  love  of  our  departed  friends, 
of  the  love  of  the  angels,  and  above  all,  of  the  love  of  our  heavenly 
Father,  we  would  all  be  abundantly  satisfied  with  the  "  good"  which 
this  new  dispensation  ha$  brought  to  the  world,  even  without  in- 
quiring for  further  proofs  of  its  beneficent  influence ;  but  leaving 
the  full  perception  of  these  unspeakable  blessings  to  the  true  in- 
stincts of  the  human  heart,  we  proceed  to  consider  the  "good" 
resulting  from  these  modern  manifestations  in  a  few  other  points 
of  view. 

And  one  world-wide  and  all-important  use  which  they  are  evi- 
dently accomplishing  is  that  of  conservwg  and  reestablishing'  the 
spirituality  and  religion  of  the  race.  An  intelligible  conception  of 
the  bearings  and  importance  of  this  proposition  will  be  facilitated 
by  a  brief  survey  of  the  spiritual  history  of  the  world.  It  will  be 
proved  by  such  a  survey,  that  spirituality  is  a  natural  and  indis- 
pensable element  of  the  human  mind  and  of  the  race — in  former 
times  unquestioned,  but  in  these  latter  days  fast  tending  to  decay, 
and  requiring  some  new  unfolding  from  the  supernal  spheres  to  pre- 
serve it  from  utter  extinction. 

With  a  few  exceptional  and  temporary  cases,  the  most  prominent 
of  which  are  found  in  the  mental  history  of  recent  times,  mankind 
have,  in  every  age  and  in  every  nation,  recognized  the  reality  of 
existing  spiritual  intercourse  in  some  form,  and  from  this  idea  have 
derived  their  highest  individual,  social,  and  national  impulses. 
According  to  the  Biblical  history  of  the  Garden  of  Eden,  and  the 
coincident  heathen  traditions  of  a  golden  age,  this  intercourse  was 
enjoyed  by  the  first  human  bemgs  that  dwelt  upon  the  earth. 
Thence  it  is  traceable  through  the  history  of  Cain  and  Abel,  of 
Enoch,  of  Noah,  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  of  Joseph,  of  Moses, 


58  xINTKODUCTION. 

of  Samuel,  of  Saul,  of  David,  and  thence  through  the  long  line  of 
the  Jewish  prophets,  seers,  priests,  and  other  interiorly  minded 
persons  of  the  same  nation.  Nay,  its  light  had  not  died  out 
among  the  Jews  before,  and  in  the  days  of  Jesus,  as  the  vision 
Zacharias,  the  dreams  of  Joseph,  the  angelic  annunciation  to  the 
shepherds  concerning  the  birth  of  the  infant  Messiah,  etc.,  fully 
testify.  Nor  need  we  look  to  the  history  of  the  Jewish  nation 
alone  for  examples  of  spiritual  communication ;  for,  indeed,  the 
Bible  itself  directs  us  to  several  cases  of  the  same  in  the  experi- 
ence of  heathen  men.  Among  these  are  the  dreams  of  Pharaoh, 
the  prophetical'  impressions  of  Balaam,  the  visions  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, and  the  evidently  spiritual  guidance  which  brought  the 
wise  men,  or  magi,  from  the  East  to  visit  the  infant  Jesus. 

More  numerous  still  are  the  testimonies  of  similar  import  which 
we  find  on  opening  the  pages  of  general  history.  We  find  that  a 
connection  with  spiritual  sources  of  power  and  intelligence  was 
claimed  by  the  gymnosophists  of  India,  the  magi  of  Persia,  the 
wise  men  of  Egypt,  the  prophets  and  diviners  of  Greece  and 
Rome,  the  druidical  priests  and  bards  of  ancient  Gaul  and  Britain, 
the  scalds  of  Scandinavia,  etc.  We  find  such  a  connection 
evinced  in  the  true  prophetic  dreams  and  visions  of  Mandane,  of 
Cyrus  the  Great,  of  Cambyses,  of  Darius,  and  others  of  the  ancient 
Median  and  Persian  kings  and  nobles.  We  find  it  proved  by  the 
utterances  of  the  oracles  of  Butos,  of  Jupiter  Ammon,  of  Colophon, 
of  Dodona,  of  Trophonius,  and  by  the  sublime  prophetic  and  didac- 
tic utterances  of  the  Delphic  Pythia,  which,  as  the  dictates  of  the 
god  Apollo,  were  for  ages  implicitly  followed  by  kings,  armies,  and 
nations.  Spiritualism,  indeed,  forms  a  fundamental  feature  of  all 
ancient,  historical,  and  poetic  literature,  and  the  spiritual  element 
of  this  could  not  be  taken  away  without  essentially  marring  the 
structure  and  consistency  of  the  whole. 

But  all  the  valuable  spiritual  light  and  power  which  in  previous 
times  had  been  vouchsafed  both  to  the  Jewish  and  the  various  heathen 
nations,  was  purified  and  brought  to  a  climax  of  perfection  in  Jesus 
Christ  and  his  apostles.  The  partialisms,  inconsistencies,  and 
moral  imperfetTtions  which  had  often  been  apparent  in  the  previous 
demonstrations  of  a  guiding  spiritual  intelligence  were,  by  the 
spiritualism  of  Jesus,  supplanted  by  the  most  broad  and  genial 
yiews  of  the  universal  love  of  God,  the  universal  brotherhood  of 


INTRODUCTION.  69 

man,  and  the  universal  harmony  of  truth.  Under  these  recognized 
and  practically  illustrated  principles,  the  inflowings  of  spiritual 
light  and  love  were  clear,  self-demonstrative,  and  irresistibly  pow- 
erful ;  and  those  who,  submitting  to  the  influence  and  guidance  of 
the  heavenly  Teacher,  experienced  the  opening  of  their  interior 
faculties,  dwelt  in  the  sweetest  and  most  sensible  communion  with 
each  other,  with  the  angels,  and  with  God.  Demonstrations  from 
the  spiritual  world  were,  among  them,  frequent  and  universally  rec- 
ognized ;  and  by  a  constant  renewal  of  these  demonstratioiis  in 
some  of  their  diversified  forms,  their  faith  was  kept  constantly 
active,  unwavering,  and  so  intensely  lively  as  to  exercise  an  abso- 
lute government  over  the  outer  lives  and  conduct  of  its  possessors. 
If  by  a  suspension  of  the  interior  gifts  of  the  spirit  providentially 
ordered  for  purposes  of  trial  and  humiliation,  the  votary  of^the  new 
faith  was  immersed  in  temporary  darkness  and  doubt,  it  was  only 
necessary  for  him  to  institute  a  stricter  discipline  over  his  interior 
affections,  and  to  appeal  with  more  earnest  prayer  to  the  Great 
Source  of  spiritual  light  and  joy,  in  order  to  have  a  renewal  of 
those  unmistakable  evidences,  interior  and  exterior,  on  which  his 
profession  of  faith  was  based.  It  was  not  necessary  to  say  to 
those  persons,  "  Know  ye  the  Lord  and  his  truths,"  for  all  had  this 
knowledge,  from  the  least  to  the  greatest,  having  the  witness  of  its 
reality  within  themselves,  and  in  the  wonderful  sayings  and  doings 
of  their  propliets,  prophetesses,  and  other  mediums  for  the  spiritual 
afflatus. 

These  spiritual  gifts  and  their  outer  manifestations  continued  to 
exist  and  to  be  universally  recognized  for  some  two  or  three  cen- 
turies after  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus — indeed,  so  long  as  professed 
Christians  remained  sufficiently  faithful  to  the  heavenly  light ;  and 
it  is  presumable  that  they  never  would  have  ceased  had  it  not  been 
foT  the  moral  decadence  of  the  professed  receivers  of  the  Christian 
faith.  But  as  the  pure  waters  of  spiritual  truth  and  life  flowed 
out  from  their  fount  in  Jesus  and  his  apostles,  among  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  and  thence  down  through  the  subsequent  ages  and 
generations  of  mankind,  they  became  more  and  more  commingled 
with  the  sensualisms  and  corruptions  of  man,  until  in  these  latter 
ages  they  have  become  comparatively  lost ;  and  those  whose  sacred 
office  it  should  be  to  administer  them  to  a  thirsting  world  are  now, 
alas,  found  denying  their  very  existence,  except  as  confined  to 


60  INTEODUCTION. 

the  deep  and  almost  inacessible  wells  of  traditional  antiquity.  They 
would  have  us  go  to  the  New  Testament  records,  and  to  them 
alone,  for  evidences  of  the  outpouring  of  the  spirit  of  God  and 
of  the  reality  of  an  immortal  state  of  existence  beyond  the  grave, 
discouraging  all  ideas  of  a  present  and  direct  intercourse  with  the 
spiritual  world  as  necessarily  savoring  of  infidelity  !  How  strange 
that  the  professed  conservators  of  the  spirituality  of  the  world 
should  ignore  the  present  existence  of  that  apparent  Divine  law  by 
which,  according  to  the  most  reliable  history,  spiritual  influx  was  kept 
perpetual  from  the  earliest  ages  to  comparatively  recent  times,  and 
that  they  should  suppose,  in  the  absence  of  all  scriptural  and  phi- 
losophical proof,  that  that  law  Avas  entirely  and  for  ever  suspended 
when  it  came  to  the  climax  of  its  development  in  Christianity ! 

It  is  freely  admitted  that  to  those  who  are  already  sufficiently 
spiritualized  to  appreciate  the  facts  and  philosophy  of  the  New  Test- 
ament records,  these  may,  in  some  degree,  serve  as  a  satisfactory 
source  of  proof  in  respect  to  the  doctrine  of  immortality,  and  the 
reality  of  ancient  revelations  from  the  superior  world ;  but  to  the 
countless  and  increasing  multitudes  who  constitutionally  and  habitu- 
ally depend  for  convictions  of  truth  upon  the  exterior  and  tangible  facts 
of  the  present,  rather  than  upon  the  (to  them)  apparently  mystical 
relations  of  the  past,  this  source  of  evidence  has,  by  actual  exper- 
iment, proved  to  be  totally  inadequate.  Hence  within  the  last  two 
centuries  each  succeeding  year  had  added  to  the  number  of  deniers 
of  all  spiritual  existences  and  spiritual  and  divine  revelations. 
Professors  and  teachers  of  Christianity  have  endeavored  to  arrest 
this  wide-spread  defection  from  spiritual  and  religious  faith,  by  all 
the  means  which  they  have  deemed  legitimate  to  employ.  Not 
recognizing  present  spiritual  demonstrations,  however,  and  finding 
the'  simple  presentation  of  Scripture  testimonies  inadequate  to  pro- 
duce the  desired  conviction,  they  have,  in  too  many  instances,  be- 
come impatient  and  resorted  to  dogmatic  and  dictatorial  methods 
of  enforcing  them.  By  these  means  the  weak-minded  have  been 
crushed  into  an  unreasoning  assent  to  the  dicta  of  their  teachers ; 
and  with  this  exclusion  of  their  rational  powers  from  all  partici- 
pancy  in  the  formation  of  their  religious  convictions,  they  have 
been  made  the  willing  slaves  of  whatever  forms  of  superstition  an 
ambitious  and  bigoted  priesthood  chose  to  impose  upon  them. 

While  one  class  of  mankind  have  thus  been  led  to  divorce  re- 


INTRODUCTION.  61 

ligion,  m  a  great  measure,  from  rationality,  and  become  the  de- 
votees of  an  imperious  dogmatism,  alike  unfavorable  to  their  own 
spiritual  growth  and  restrictive  of  the  religious  and  intellectual 
progress  of  the  race,  another  class,  provoked  by  the  tyranny  of 
church  and  priest,  have  not  only  been  confirmed  in  previous  skep- 
ticism, but  have  engaged  in  a  methodical  opposition  to  every  form 
of  religion  and  spirituality.  They  denounce  all  these  as  unfound- 
ed figments  of  a  superstitious  fancy,  or  cunningly  devised  fables, 
invented  to  subserve  a.  priestly  domination.  In  a  tone  of  free 
inquiry,  recognized  as  legitimate  in  every  other  department  of 
thought  (and  which  the  world  can  not  much  longer  be  convinced 
is  out  of  place  when  applied  even  to  this  subject),  they  have  ask- 
ed, "  Where  is  the  evidence  of  your  spirit-world,  of  your  God,  and 
of  your  religion  ?"  And  as  this  class  of  minds  for  the  most  part 
are  unfortunately  closed  against  the  light  of  Bible  testimony,  their 
queries  have  been  left  without  satisfactory  answers,  and  the  quer- 
ists have  thus  been  left  without  any  spiritually-redeeming  power, 
except  it  arise  outside  of  the  Church  and  even  outside  of  the  Bible. 

Moreover,  under  the  influence  of  this  general  denial  of  present 
intercourse  between  the  mundane  and  the  spiritual  spheres,  it  is 
not  to  be  wondered  that  the  faith  even  of  the  Church  itself  has 
grown  cold  and  languid,  and  that  its  moral  power  has  become  as 
nothing  in  comparison  to  what  it  was  in  its  primitive  ages,  when 
the  gifts  of  the  spirit  were  everywhere  recognized.  Facts  known 
and  seen  of  all  men  render  it  daily  more  obvious  that  the  functions 
of  the  Christian  ministry  are  falling  into  a  mere  mechanical  round 
of  ceremonies,  performed  mainly  from  the  impulse  of  time-honored 
custom,  and  that  all  the  existing  forms  of  religious  worship  are 
fast  degenerating  into  meaningless  mummery  from  which  all  spirit- 
ual life  and  power  have  departed.  The  really  religious,  the  really 
spiritually-minded  (of  which  we  are  happy  to  say  there  are  still  a 
few  in  the  Church),  see  and  acknowledge  this,  and  are  constantly 
sending  forth  their  lamentations  from  pulpit  and  press  and  in  the 
conference-room,  at  this  great  decline  of  spirituality  among  those 
who  should  be  the  world's  spiritual  exemplars  and  teachers.  This 
moribund  condition  of  spirituality  in  the  Church  is  becoming  more 
and  more  conspicuous,  and  the  hope  of  its  being  remedied  from 
resources  within  itself  is  constantly  diminishing.  '*^  ' 

Such,  then,  is  the  tendency  to  an  utter  extinction  of  all  spiritual 


V 


62  INTRODUCTION. 

faith  both  out  of  the  Church  and  in  it;  and  it  would  seem  that 
nothing  can  arrest  this  tendency  short  of  a  renewed  and  tangible 
interposition  of  power  and  intelligence  from  the  spiritual  world. 
It  would  seem  that  for  every  evidence  of  an  interposition  of  this 
kind,  the  true  mind — he  who  seeks  the  unfoldings  of  Divine  wis- 
dom and  love  rather  than  to  sustain  the  barren  creeds  of  men — 
would  spontaneously  thank  God  from  the  depths  of  his  soul,  in- 
stead of  opposing  and  denouncing  it  as  a  delusion  or  device  of  the 
devil. 

We,  then,  feel  warranted  in  the  assertion,  that  all  the  evils  of  a 
supercilious  and  reason-crushing  dogmatism,  and  of  consequent 
spiritual  slavery  and  sectarian  intolerance,  on  the  one  hand,  and  of 
a  weakened  or  totally  annihilated  faith  concerning  a  spiritual  world, 
a  God,  and  his  divine  revelation,  on  the  other  hand,  are  the  legit- 
imate concomitants  of  that  mistaken  idea  of  sectarian  religionists, 
whereby  the  great  doctrine  of  immortality  and  of  spiritual  manifes- 
tations has  been  put  forth  in  the  form  of  a  mere  theory^  resting  only 
upon  the  evidence  of  alleged  facts  occurring  in  a  remote  and  ob- 
scure age  of  the  world.  Had  the  professedly  Christian  fraternity 
remained  in  that  moral  simplicity  and  spiritual  devoutness  which 
would  have  secured  to  it  a  continuance  of  its  original  spiritual  gifts, 
and  had  it  constantly  pointed  the  world  to  ^q  facts  of  its  own  celes- 
tial communings  as  the  demonstrations  of  its  professions  of  faith, 
there  would  now  have  been  but  little  room  for  a  crushing  spiritual 
dogmatism  and  its  resultant  evils  ;  and  the  word  "  infidelity"  would 
have  scarcely  retained  a  place  in  .our  vocabularies.  But  since  the 
"  salt"  of  the  Church  has,  in  respect  to  these  matters,  "  lost  its 
savor,  and  is  henceforth  good  for  nothing  but  to  be  cast  out  and 
trodden  under  foot  of  men,"  it  hath  pleased  Divine  Providence  to 
develop  this  conserving  element  of  which  we  have  spoken,  in  the 
form  of  what  is  now  termed  "  Spiritualism." 

Let  us  now  direct  our  attention  more  spe«ially  to  the  subject 
just  named,  and  ascertain,  if  possible,  precisely  what  it  is,  and 
what  it  is  calculated  to  accomplish  for  mankind. 

It  is  not  denied  that  in  this  infantile  stage  of  its  unfolding.  Spir- 
itualism has  exhibited  many  erratic,  and  some  unpropitious,  fea- 
tures. Appealing,  as  it  has  done,  to  people  of  every  diversity  of 
character  and  mental  development,  and  being  necessitated  to  adapt 
itself  to  their  differjent  capacities  of  reception,  its  specific  manifes- 


INTEODUCTION.  63 

tations  have  assumed  all  possible  grades  of  dignity  from  lowest  to 
highest.  Its  didactic  and  philosophic  utterances,  moreover,  com- 
ing as  they  do  from  the  spirits  of  men  of  all  grades  of  moral  and 
intellectual  culture,  exhibit  all  degrees  and  admixtures  c^  truthful- 
ness and  error,  and  the  elements  of  the  nevir  spiritual  creation  are 
thus  far  (speaking  in  general  terms)  somewhat  in  the  state  of  the 
elements  of  the  -physical  world  in  the  first  period  of  creation,  and 
before  tlie  spirit  of  the  Lord  God  moved  upon  the  face  of  the  wa- 
ters to  reduce  all  things  to  form  and  order.  Yet  notwithstanding 
this  fact,  we  think  that  Ithese  modern  demonstrations,  when  studied 
in  all  their  variety,  exhibit  to  the  honest  skeptic  every  requisite  il- 
lustration and  presumptive  proof  of  the  spiritual  phenomena,  revela- 
tions, and  resultant  moral  precepts,  found  in  the  true  history  and 
the  traditions  of  all  ages,  the  Bible  records  included.  Nay,  we 
think  they  even  furnish  new  and  brilliant  illustrations  of  the  profound 
interior  significance  of  many  of  the  ancient  revelations,  and  throw 
a  light  upon  the  future  destiny  of  man,  which  prophets  and  sages  of 
old  ardently  sought  but  found  not ;  and  at  the  same  time  they  seem 
to  put  an  end  to  the  long-existing  conflict  between  material  science 
and  spiritual  faith,  and  make  the  former  the  handmaid  of  the  latter. 

To  show  that  such  are  really  their  bearings  and  tendencies,  and 
that,  when  properly  contemplated,  they  will  thus  supply  to  the  whole 
world  an  element  of  spiritual  life  which  the  sectarian  churches 
and  their  creeds  have  notoriously  ceased  to  afford,  we  will  here 
institute  a  few  comparisons  between  the  ancient  and  alleged  mod- 
ern spiritual  phenomena,  with  their  respective  modes,  conditions, 
and  subsidiary  instrumentalities,  and  show  that  both  are  classifiable 
imder  the  same  general  head,  and  that  they  hence  mutually  estab- 
lish and  confirm  each  other. 

The  recorded  facts  of  the  appearance  of  the  spirits  of  Moses 
and  Elias  to  the  Saviour  and  three  of  his  disciples  (Mark  ix.  2-8), 
of  the  appearance  of  the  spirit  of  one  of  the  old  prophets  to  John 
the  Revelator  (Rev.  xxii.  9),  and  the  declaration  of  Paul  that  one 
office  of  Christianity  was  to  bring  its  disciples  into  communion 
with  "  an  innumerable  company  of  angels,  and  with  the  spirits  of 
just  men  made  perfect"  (Heb.  xii.  22,  23),  have  their  illustrative 
facts  and  philosophy  exhibited  in  this  modern  unfolding  too  con- 
spicuously to  require  any  further  remark.  The  same  may  be  said 
concerning  the  appearance  of  the  spirit  of  Jesus  to  Saul  while  on 

\ 


64:  INTRODUCTION. 

his  way  to  Damascus,  and  of  numerous  recorded  instances  of  the 
appearance  of  angels  and  spirits  as  found  in  the  Bible  and  other 
ancient  records,  together  with  the  various  communications  and 
physical  manifestations  which  they  made.  These  relations  of  an- 
cient fact,  which  have  long  been  subjects  of  skeptical  ridicule,  are 
completely  rationalized  and  triumphantly  defended  by  the  parallel 
occurrences  of  this  modern  unfolding. 

No  less  conspicuous  are  the  coincidences  and  mutually  confirm- 
atory parallelisms  between  the  unseen  influences  and  their  effects 
as  described  in  the  ancient  records  and  those  which  modernly 
occur.  Even  the  scene  which  is  said  to  have  taken  place  with 
the  disciples  of  Jesus  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  has  had  its  modern 
parallelisms  sufficiently  marked  to  prove  the  possibility  and  prob- 
ability of  the  account  concerning  it,  even  in  its  most  marvelous 
particulars.  That  impressible  persons  have  in  these  days  been 
often  spontaneously  drawn  together  into  circles  not  previously  ap- 
pointed or  contemplated,  as  the  apostles  appear  to  have  been  drawn 
together  on  the  day  of  Pentecost ;  that  in  such  associate  relations 
they  have  been  subjected  to  the  most  unmistakable  outpourings  of 
an  invisible,  spiritual  power ;  that  the  receptacles  of  this  influence 
have  often  uttered  things  wholly  transcending  their  knowledge  and 
capacities  while  in  the  normal  state,  and  that  they  have  in  frequent 
and  most  satisfactorily  attested  cases  even  spoken  in  languages 
which  they  had  never  learned,  might  here  be  proved  by  citations 
of  testimonies  overwhelming  to  all  rational  skepticism  ;  but,  as  be- 
fore intimated,  it  is  not  my  present  object  to  prove  the  reality  of 
existing  spiritual  intercourse,  but  to  leave  this  question  to  be  de- 
cided by  the  personal  investigation  of  such  of  my  skeptical  readers 
as  may  wish  to  be  satisfied  upon  the  point. 

The  general  modus  of  the  recorded  ancient  spiritual  communings, 
and  of  those  which  purport  to  occur  at  this  day,  exhibit  marks  of 
identity  equally  recognizable.  Thus,  in  the  tenth  chapter  of  Daniel 
(4-10),  we  find  the  description  of  a  scene  which  has  been  frequent- 
ly reproduced,  in  all  its  essential  phenomena,  in  the  modern  mani- 
festations claimed  to  be  spiritual.  We  see  in  Daniel's  fasting  and 
praying,  as  there  recorded,  what  is  now  recognized  as  the  prelim- 
inary self-discipline  requisite  to  the  unfolding  of  a  good  "  medium  ;" 
we  see  in  the  "  quakings"  of  Daniel's  companions  the  ungovernable 
muscular  contractions  now  known  to  occur  to  partially  susceptible 


INTRODUCTION.  66 

persons  when  brought  under  spiritual  influence ;  we  see  in  his 
vision  of  the  person  of  the  angel  a  phenomenon  of  spiritual  clair- 
Toyance  which  is  now  frequent ;  we  see  in  his  "  deep  sleep,"  and 
in  the  fact  of  his  being  strengthened  by  a  spirit-hand  which  touched 
him,  the  now  common  spiritual  magnetic  trance,  and  the  manner  in 
which  strength  is  imparted  or  withdrawn  in  such  cases  ;  and  who- 
ever, therefore,  admits  the  constantly  demonstrated  realities  of  the 
modern  phenomena,  can  not  reasonably  withhold  assent  from  this 
and  the  like  ancient  occurrences,  nor  from  any  of  the  logical  corol- 
laries as  to  the  reliability  of  the  moral  and  spiritual  teachings  thence 
originating. 

The  intelligent  reader  will  further  pursue  this  line  of  comparison 
for  himself,  and  as  he  proceeds,  the  evidence  of  the  identity  of  the 
general  laws  governing  those  ancient  and  these  modern  unfoldings 
will  accumulate  at  each  step.  This  glance  at  the  prominent  fea- 
tures of  the  two,  however,  justifies  us  in  the  following  assertions  : 
If  the  alleged  ultra-mundane  developments  of  this  time,  more  or  less 
of  which  have  already  been  exhibited  in  every  third  or  fourth  fam- 
ily in  many  of  our  cities  and  country  localities,  assuming  every 
shape  suited  to  the  exigencies  of  an  existing,  universal,  and  deeply 
rooted  skepticism — if  these,  I  say,  can  not  be  trusted  as  of  really 
spiritual  origin,  as  they  uniformly  purport  to  be,  then  the  compar- 
atively few  accounts  of  precisely  similar  occurrences,  which  we 
have  derived  from  a  remote  and  obscure  age,  must,  in  all  consist- 
ency, be  rejected  as  still  less  worthy  of  credence ;  and  the  whole 
phenomenal  history  of  the  Christian  revelation  itself  must  be  written 
down  as  a  fable.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  modern  Spiritualism  is  ad- 
mitted as  a  reality,  and  the  tens  of  thousands  of  intelligent  persons 
who,  from  personal  observation,  assert  its  facts,  are  not  positively 
insane,  then  the  Spiritualism  of  all  ages  and  nations,  which  exhibits 
an  identity  of  phenomena,  and  comes  under  the  same  general 
laws,  stands  established  by  a  force  of  presumptive  evidence  which 
it  would  be  the  height  of  folly  to  discredit. 

But  if  the  phenomena  alleged  to  have  subserved  the  original  de- 
velopment of  Christianity  are  thus  allowed  to  be  established  by 
the  force  of  living  parallelisms  in  this  day,  then  all  the  religious 
principles  and  moral  precepts  of  the  Christian  scheme  will  assume 
a  freshness,  and  may  be  urged  home  upon  the  human  conscience 
with  a  power,  unknown  in  the   ministrations  of  the   professing 

5 


66  INTRODUCTION. 

Christian  teachers  of  this  day  ;  and  what  is  more,  the  same  spirit- 
ual gifts  which  sanctified  the  lives  and  gave  such  a  divine  and 
irresistible  power  to  the  reformatory  labors  of  the  early  Christian 
disciples,  will  again  be  objects  of  aspiration  to  all  zealous  and 
pure-minded  believers,  and  will  be  enjoyed  by  multitudes  as  fully 
as  they  were  ever  enjoyed  by  the  prophets,  seers,  and  energumens 
of  the  ancient  times. 

It  is  in  this  way  that  modern  Spiritualism,  when  properly  con- 
templated and  developed,  tends  to  conserve  and  bring  forth  in  all 
the  fervent  and  brilliant  glow  of  a  living  reality  the  normal  spirit- 
uality and  religion  of  the  race,  which  otherwise  is  unquestionably 
fast  tending  to  decay  and  utter  extinction ;  and  having  thus  dis- 
posed of  this  point,  we  proceed  to  consider  briefly,  but  in  more 
specific  points  of  view,  the  practical  influences  of  these  new  mani- 
festations upon  individual  and  social  life,  and  upon  the  higher 
interests  of  humanity  at  large. 

We  hazard  little  in  asserting  that  it  is  impossible  for  a  substan- 
tial knowledge  of  the  existence  of  a  spiritual  world,  and  that  it  is 
the  constant  source  and  medium  of  influences  from  spirits,  from 
angels,  and  from  God,  should  be  established  in  the  mind  of  man 
without  producing  a  salutary  eflfect  both  upon  his  inner  aflections 
and  outer  life.  It  tends  to  raise  him  completely  out  of  the  sphere 
of  mere  brute  nature,  and  impaj^ts  to  him  all  the  dignity  of  an  im- 
mortal, whose  endlessly  unfolding  destiny  will  necessarily  partake 
of  the  qualities  of  his  endlessly  unfolding  aspirations.  Whatever 
of  mere  groveling  earthiness  there  may  be  in  the  thoughts  and  life 
of  the  so-called  infidel,  must  necessarily,  in  some  degree,  receive 
a  softening,  subduing,  and  humanizing  influence  from  the  inflowing 
of  that  light  which  shows  him  his  intimate  relations  to  a  world  of 
angels,  and  to  the  God  of  all ;  and  he  with  whom  the  doctrine  of 
immortality  is  involved  in  any  degree  of  doubt,  however  slight, 
must  be  correspondingly  benefited  in  precisely  the  degree  in  which 
his  faith  or  assurance  upon  this  point  can  be  increased.  The  light 
which  modern  Spiritualism  sheds  upon  the  minds  of  all  such,  must, 
therefore,  even  in  this  general  way,  tend  to  fecundate  and  stimu- 
late in  them  the  growth  of  all  that  is  noble,  genial,  and  divine. 

But  the  influence  of  these  spiritual  disclosures  operates  in  a  still 
more  specific  way.  They  teach  us  that  however  secret  may  be 
our  acts  and  our  very  thoughts,  to  persons  in  the  flesh,  they  are  all 


INTRODUCTION.  J^l 

seen  and  known  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  spirit-world  as  clearly  as 
we  can  discern  objects  through  the  most  transparent  glass.  He, 
therefore,  who  would  hesitate  to  do  an  unworthy  deed,  cherish  an 
impure  thought,  or  conceive  an  unholy  intention  within  the  knowl- 
edge of  a  pure-minded  sister,  or  brother,  or  other  friend  in  this 
world  who  might  be  grieved  or  shocked  by  the  same,  will,  if  he  is 
a  true  Spiritualist,  be  made  cautious  as  to  the  regulation  of  his 
thoughts  and  the  government  of  acts  by  the  knowledge  that  such 
are  exposed  to  the  clear  and  constant  gaze  of  some  beloved  friend 
in  the  spirit- world,  and  who  can  not  but  look  upon  his  impurities 
and  derelictions  with  grief.  What  firmly-persuaded  Spiritualist 
has  not  felt  a  salutary  check  placed,  by  this  consideration,  upon  the 
evils  of  his  own  heart,  strengthening  him  in  his  struggles  with 
temptations,  and  encouraging  his  aspiration  for  that  purity  of  soul 
in  which  he  can  stand  naked  before  the  whole  universe  and  not  be 
ashamed ! 

Besides,  with  the  absolute  knowledge  of  spiritual  beings  sym- 
pathizing with  ourselves,  which  these  modern  manifestations  bring, 
there  is  naturally  engendered  a  desire  to  commune  with  these  be- 
ings, and  receive  their  constant,  superior  guidance.  In  this  way 
our  susceptibility  to  their  influence  is  cultivated  and  increased,  and 
we  are  brought  to  act,  in  our  daily  lives,  more  and  more  under  the 
inspirations  of  their  wisdom  and  love,  of  whatever  degrees  or 
qualities  these  may  be.  And  though  it  is  not  pretended  that  their 
promptings  may  be  safely  followed  in  all  cases,  or  even  in  any 
case,  without  reference  to  the  guidance  of  a  Power  superior  to  all 
spirits  and  angels,  it  is  believed  that  with  the  safeguards  against 
misleadirigs  which  the  judgment  and  moral  instincts  of  mankind 
in  general  will  lead  them  to  employ,  the  good  that  will  be  secured 
and  appropriated  from  these  channels  of  inspiration  will,  upon  the 
whole,  vastly  preponderate  over  the  evil,  and  that  the  evil  itself 
will  be  finally  made  to  work  out  its  own  destruction.  Still  the  ad- 
mitted danger  of  open  intercourse  with  the  spirit-world — danger 
of  having  our  own  errors  of  opinion  and  practice  reflected  back 
upon  us  and  confirmed  by  sympathizing  spirits  who  are  in  similar 
errors — is  such  as  to  require  this  caution — that  no  one  should  seek 
such  intercourse  without  an  humble  desire  to  know  the  truth  irre- 
spective of  previous  impressions,  and  a  prayerful  looking  to  God 
for  his  divine  guidance. 


68  INTKODUCTION. 

Such  being  the  genial  influence  which  Spiritualism,  as  a  general 
fact,  exerts  upon  the  thoughts,  affections,  and  life  of  the  individual 
man,  it  is  easy  to  perceive  that  it  tends  also  to  change  and  improve 
the  whole  relations  existing  between  man  and  his  fellows.  Its  in- 
fluence in  spiritualizing  individuals  certainly  prepares  them  for  a 
more  spiritual  consociation  with  each  other.  By  imparting  a  deep 
sense  of  the  eternal  existence  in  which  all  the  temporary  distinctions 
of  this  life  will  be  swallowed  up  and  lost,  it  tends  to  impress  each 
with  the  equal  value  of  all  souls.  It  thus  tends  to  destroy  personal 
pride,  aristocracy,  and  all  feelings  of  exclusiveness,  and  to  fuse  the 
high  and  low  together  in  common  interests  and  common  sympathies. 
That  such  have  been  its  efl'ectsal  ready  to  a  marked  extent,  will 
not  be  denied  by  those  who  have  been  most  observant  of  its  prac- 
tical workings ;  and  it  is  believed  that  this  tendency  will  be  in- 
creased as  the  unfolding  becomes  more  perfect,  and  its  moral  and 
religious  features  become  more  developed. 

For  reasons  closely  allied  to  the  above,  Spiritualism  is  neces- 
sarily at  war  with  all  mere  sectarianism,  with  its  restrictive  influ- 
ences, its  discords,  and  its  animosities.  The  facts  and  principles 
of  this  new  development,  by  their  own  force  and  spirit,  discoun- 
tenance the  idea  of  a  monopoly  of  Divine  favor  by  any  class  or 
party  of  people.  They  proclaim  unbounded  freedom  of  thought 
and  investigation  as  the  birthright  of  every  human  being,  and  thus 
dissolve  the  bonds  of  mere  human  creeds  and  conventional  dogmas 
by  which  the  human  mind  has  been  so  long  enslaved  and  its  pow- 
ers repressed.  Spiritualism  thus  labors  to  bring  each  human  being 
to  the  dignity  of  a  true  man,  responsible  to  God  alone  for  the  just 
improvement  of  his  faculties,  and  to  diffuse  among  all  men  the 
spirit  of  mutual  forbearance  with  each  other's  errors,  or  diversities 
of  thought  on  the  same  subjects,  attributing  these  to  diversities  of 
constitution  or  mental  development,  and  expecting  them  to  disap- 
pear as  the  general  mind  becomes  more  fully  and  more  harmo- 
niously unfolded.  If  in  the  contention  for  these  principles  there 
have  been  some  cases  of  extravagance,  extremeism,  and  violent 
denunciation  of  things  really  true  and  sacred,  the  fault  must  be  laid 
to  the  charge  of  Spiritualists,  and  not  to  Spiritualism  itself  in  its 
true  and  properly  understood  character ;  for  that  seeks  and  appro- 
priates what  is  true  and  good  in  all  sects  and  parties,  and  rejects 
only  their  falsities  and  evils,  while  it  seeks  light  also  from  beyond 


INTRODUCTION.  69 

all  sectarian  spheres  of  thought.  We  may  add,  that  if  Spiritual- 
ism accomplishes  no  other  practical  result  than  that  of  emanci- 
pating the  human  mind  from  the  restrictive  dogmas  of  the  past, 
and  placing  it  in  the  path  of  individual  progress,  the  future  gener- 
ations of  mankind  will  even  then  have  cause  to  be  thankful  that  it 
ever  appeared  upon  the  earth. 

Finally,  it  is  no  less  evident  to  the  interior  contemplator  of 
these  developments,  that  as  they  themselves  progress  and  are  per- 
fected, they  will  necessarily  tend  to  fraternize,  elevate,  and  har- 
monize the  whole  human  race,  and  to  reconcile  and  unite  mankind 
eternally  to  the  Divine  Author  and  Ruler  of  all.  To  the  superficial 
observer  of  the  apparent  effects  of  Spiritualism  in  its  present  in- 
cipient stage,  I  am  aware  that  this  assertion  may  seem  somewhat 
paradoxical,  inasmuch  as  spiritual  teachings,  in  their  present  state, 
are  confessedly  not  entirely  free  from  dividing  and  antagonizing 
elements.  It  not  unfrequently  happens  that  the  teachings  re- 
ceived by  one  spiritual  circle  essentially  differ  from  those  received 
by  another,  and  that  each  claims  to  possess  the  truth,  and  the  only 
truth,  on  the  subjects  treated  of,  and  pronounces  all  opposing  com- 
munications erroneous  almost  as  a  matter  of  course.  It  may  be 
frankly  admitted,  too,  that  many  spirits  whose  influence  is  now 
prominent  in  this  unfolding,  are  not  of  the  highest  order  as  to  in- 
telligence and  religious  character,  and  that  their  influence,  taken 
by  itself,  is  by  no  means  to  be  trusted  by  those  who  would  seek 
safety  in  their  moral  and  religious  guides  ;  but  it  should  be  observ- 
ed that  these  are  only  among  the  exceptional  and  incidental  facts 
of  the  great  general  unfolding,  in  estimating  the  influence  of  which 
latter  the  following  remarks  are  applicable  : 

While  destitute  of  a  lively,  realizing  faith  in  the  soul's  trans- 
mundane  existence  (as  most  of  people  in  and  out  of  the  Church 
now  are,  unless  positively  reassured  on  the  subject  by  modern 
Spiritualism),  the  thoughts  and  aff*ections  of  man  necessarily  tend 
earthward  and  selfward.  He  will  know  of  few  enjoyments  which 
rise  above  the  gratification  of  the  senses  and  those  cold  intel- 
lectualisms  which  are  immediately  dependent  upon  sensuous  per- 
ception. While  in  this  state  his  motto  naturally  is,  "  Get  and  enjoy 
all  you  can  while  in  this  life,  for  beyond  this  life  we  know  of 
neither  enjoyment  nor  existence ;"  and  thus  he  is  apt  to  assume 
4he  character  of  a  mere  absorbent,  appropriating  all  things  to  self 


70  •INTRODUCTION. 

and  disregarding  the  common  rights  and  interests  of  others,  except 
as  he  perceives  that  an  attention  to  them  will  in  some  way  benefit 
himself  beyond  the  extent  of  his  sacrifices.  The  general  lack  of 
a  lively  spiritual  faith  makes  this  feeling  correspondingly  general 
among  mankind ;  and  the  existing  tendency  to  a  cold,  selfish,  un- 
brotherly,  unloving,  and  hence  disintegrated  and  conflicting  state 
of  humanity,  are  the  natural  consequences  as  now  observable  in 
the  whole  spirit  and  tone  of  human  society. 

But  the  modern  spiritual  manifestations,  by  furnishing  such  pos- 
itive proofs  of  a  spiritual' existence  as  appeal  to  and  convince  even 
those  who  are  on  the  lowest  plane  of  sensualism,  present  to  all 
men  the  absolute  knowledge  of  a  higher  and  more  enduring  sphere 
of  attraction  than  what  belongs  to  this  earth  and  its  sensuous  pleas- 
ures ;  and  thus,  whereas  the  thoughts  and  affections  were  pre- 
viously turned  earth-ward  and  self- ward,  they  are,  with  this  acces- 
sion of  faith,  immediately  turned  upward  and  heaven-ward,  and  an 
impulse  to  subserve  the  eternal  and  spiritual  uses  of  man's  being 
is  immediately  supplied  where  none  existed  before.  As  Spiritual- 
ism, therefore,  progresses  in  the  world,  mankind  will  begin  to  live 
for  something  higher  than  what  this  world  affords,  and  the  selfish- 
ness and  antagonism  inseparable  from  the  now  prevailing  worldli- 
ness  will,  in  the  same  degree,  be  mitigated  and  supplanted  by 
higher  impulses  and  by  aspirations  having  a  common  center  in  the 
great  Fountain  of  eternal  and  spiritual  existence,  to  which  all  things 
will  then  be  felt  to  be  subordinate. 

Besides,  although  all  possible  gradations  of  spiritual  communica- 
tions, from  highest  to  lowest,  are  being  exemplified  in  the  present 
developments,  and  although  the  inferior  ones  would  generally,  as  it 
is  confessed,  have  a  corrupting  influence  if  received  and  obeyed 
by  higher  minds  than  those  to  whom  they  are  almost  exclusively 
addressed,  it  will  generally  be  observed  that  these,  as  well  as  all 
communications  superior  to  them,  are  a  little  above  the  moral 
and  intellectual  status  of  \h.e  particular  persons  who  receive  them. 
According  to  this  law  of  adaptation,  the  believers  in  spiritual 
manifestations  are  being  instructed  in  detail,  and  as  a  mass  con- 
sisting of  details,  all  are  being  thus  raised  up  to  a  higher  plane. 
And  that  the  general  influence  of  these  spirit-teachings  has  even 
already  been  exemplified  in  making  mankind  more  unselfish,  more 
just,  more  orderly,  more  free  and  loving,  more  progressive,  and 


INTRODUCTION.  71' 

more  harmonious,  can  not  be  denied  by  those  who  have  taken  an 
enlarged  view  of  their  practical  effects,  even  though  some  isolated 
cases  apparently  to  the  contrary  may  be  pointed  out.  Fraternity, 
progression,  and  harmony  are,  indeed,  the  constant  burdens  of  the 
exhortations  coming  from  the  invisible  realms,  and  the  means  and 
efforts  for  their  realization  are  constant  themes  of  contemplation 
among  Spiritualists  at  their  conferences  and  other  public  assem- 
blages. 

Moreover,  as  these  wonderful  manifestations  from  the  spiritual 
world  are  contemplated  in  respect  to  their  various  and  constantly 
multiplying  phases  adapted  to  the  exigencies  of  an  existing  skep- 
ticism— in  respect  to  their  power  of  everywhere  thwarting  oppo- 
sition, and  in  respect  to  the  rapidity  with  which  they  are  extending 
themselves  throughout  the  civilized  world,  no  deeply  discerning 
mind  can  fail  to  be  impressed  with  a  grand  unitary  plan  and  method 
as  governing  them,  which  plan  and  method  must  necessarily  have 
originated  in  a  Power  and  Wisdom  higher  than  the  spirits  them- 
selves !  In  this  light  of  the  subject,  the  thoughts  of  all  its  contem- 
plators  are  carried  upward  to  an  overruling  and  divine  Providence, 
to  whom  the  glory  and  honor  of  the  whole  unfolding  should  be 
ascribed,  and  who  is  using  it  all  for  the  purposes  of  His  own  infinite 
Love  and  Wisdom  in  the  redemption  of  mankind.  In  the  progres- 
sion of  processes  looking  to  the  accomplishment  of  this  glorious 
end,  there  will  be  observed  the  order  of  "  first  the  blade,  then  the 
corn,  then  the  full  corn  in  the  ear."  The  world  now  presents 
every  diversity  of  human  condition,  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest, 
and  these  are  characterized  by  every  shade  of  faith  and  unfaith. 
From  the  same  Divine  Hand  influences  are  now  sent  down  which 
diverge  as  they  approach  the  divergent  conditions  of  men,  and,  ac- 
cording to  their  adaptations,  extend  equally  to  those  whose  diver- 
sities of  moral  and  spiritual  state  have  attained  their  utmost  limits. 
By  these  influences  mankind  are  now  being  gently  drawn  upward 
as  by  ten  thousand  silken  cords,  and  as  they  ascend  toward  the 
Source  of  the  divine  attraction,  they  will  correspondingly  approach 
each  other,  until  at  the  apex  of  the  mighty  cone  of  celestial  influ- 
ences they  will  center  in  one  grand  fraternal  and  universal  unity, 
in  which  God  will  be  all  in  all. 

But  besides  these  modifications  which  Spiritualism  is  now  pro- 
ducing, and  will  effect  in  the  opinions  of  individuals  and  in  the 


7&  INTEODTJCTION. 

general  manifestations  of  society,  it  may  be  that  this  new  pro- 
vision (which  may  be  called  supplementary  to  the  original)  was 
meant  to  be  introductory  to  the  final  consequences  which  the  ad- 
vent of  our  Saviour  was  to  produce  on  man  in  every  condition  and 
position  of  existence.  In  view  of  the  great  decline  in  the  moral 
appreciation  of  the  truths  uttered  by  Christ,  in  what  method  and 
form,  or  by  what  arrangement  human  beings  could  move  on  in 
this  life,  so  as  to  be  prepared  for  a  higher  and  better  state  of 
existence  in  the  next,  if  these  present  revelations  had  not  been 
introduced  as  conclusive  proof  of  spiritual  communication  in  all 
ages  of  the  world,  and  of  the  grand  design  in  the  appearance  and 
teachings  of  our  Saviour,  we  are  unable  to  say.  To  us  Spir- 
itualism, either  old  or  new,  whether  manifest  in  the  earlier  periods 
of  the  world,  in  the  time  of  Christ,  or  under  the  various  phases 
and  aspects  which  it  has  assumed  from  that  time  to  the  present, 
completes  an  entire  and  thorough  change  in  the  externalism  of 
the  human  path,  modifies  the  circumstances  of  human  progress 
throughout,  in  new  forms  and  conditions,  and  fits  them  perfectly 
to  fulfill  the  purposes  of  a  restorative  discipline.  The  entire  but 
gradual  change  which  takes  place  among  men  by  the  effective 
influence  of  this  spirit-association,  realizes  the  demand  of  the 
original  scheme  of  creation,  which  scheme  is  apparent  in  the 
whole  history  of  God's  dealings  with  man,  by  his  laws  and  by  his 
special  spiritual  directions,  and  which  evidences  the  best  possible 
method  for  the  happiness,  security,  and  advancement  of  all  the 
race.  Thus  to  our  view  is  the  perpetual  superintendence  of  His 
messengers  manifested,  who  are  distinguished  by  an  earnest  endea- 
vor to  bring  men  under  the  control  of  these  influences,  which  will 
enlighten  them  as  to  the  true  laws  of  their  existence,  and  strengthen 
them  also  to  a  just  conformity  to  their  eflfects,  by  public  and  impres- 
sive manifestations  of  His  power  and  goodness. 

The  prevalent  idea  of  man's  duties  in  respect  to  himself  and 
others,  the  principles  on  which  the  civil  code  of  all  nations  has 
been  founded,  and  the  necessary  qualifications  which  will  insure 
to  him  progressive  happiness  in  the  other  life,  can  be  traced 
through  every  age  of  the  world  as  resulting  from  direct  and  spe- 
cial spiritual  intelligence  and  communication.  It  is  not  therefore 
singular,  that  while  all  the  expedients  for  repairing  the  material  de- 
linquencies of  man  are  gradually  being  brought  into  effective  oper- 


INTRODUCTION.  73 

ation,  something  more  was  necessary  to  be  accomplished  in 
his  behalf.  The  general  declaration  of  God,  through  the  agency 
of  his  spiritual  instrumentality  is,  that  every  member  of  the  human 
family  is  capable  of  advancing  from  this  life,  and  through  an  endless 
eternity,  toward  a  condition  of  entire  restoration — that  the  volun- 
tary power  of  each  will  be  so  strengthened  that  it  will  be  enabled 
to  control  and  direct  the  faculties  and  affections,  and  as  if  by  a  new 
generation,  the  human  spirit  will  be  capable  of  working  efficiently 
amid  those  remedial  circumstances  which  constitute  the  new 
economy  designed  for  its  renovation  ;  and  all  authentic  teachings 
respecting  the  progression  scheme  speak  of  it  as  furnished  to 
restore  the  original  efficacy  of  those  powers  and  attributes  which 
have  been  displaced  and  impaired  by  an  improper  application  or 
voluntary  perversion.  If  we  consider  the  whole  moral  and  phys- 
ical nature  of  man  as  a  structure  perfectly  adapted  by  its  conform- 
ation and  its  association,  both  material  and  spiritual,  to  effect  its 
purposes  in  its  appointed  path,  on  which  it  auspiciously  moved  at 
the  outset,  but  from  which  it  was  impelled  by  its  disregard  of  its 
higher  impulses  and  aspirations,  we  gain,  in  our  view,  an  accurate 
idea  of  the  influence  and  effect  of  Spiritualism,  by  regarding  it  as 
the  means  to  restore  the  original  condition  of  its  functions,  and  to 
renew  the  suspended  relations  between  the  spirits  of  the  just  made 
perfect,  and  its  purer  desires  and  hopes,  and  to  secure  to  man  the 
gradual  consummation  of  his  progress  and  improvement. 

If  the  results  of  this  new  revelation  be  commensurate  with  the 
effects  which  are  now  being  produced  on  man  and  society,  it  will 
establish,  beyond  all  controversy,  the  existence  of  that  spiritual 
principle  which  we  contend  has  exercised  such  incessant  influence 
through  all  ages  of  time  on  the  present  and  ultimate  destiny  of 
man.  This  opinion  may  ripen  into  established  truth,  and  aspects 
of  man's  moral  and  physical  nature,  unexampled  in  their  glorious 
brightness  and  purity,  may  be  presented  on  this  earth  at  no  distant 
period.  Humanity  in  its  completeness  has  not  yet  been  seen  by 
any  of  us,  but  may  it  not  be  revealed  when  there  is  no  obstacle  to 
the  free  and  uninterrupted  intercourse  of  the  spiritual  with  the 
material  ?  When  ennobled  with  elevated  conceptions  of  the  might 
and  grandeur  of  his  iMaker,  and  filled  with  sentiments  of  pure  en- 
joyment in  the  contemplation  of  His  administration,  man  regards 
this  life  as  the  means  of  understanding  the  true  design  and  pur- 


74  INTKObUCTION. 

poses  of  those  laws,  moral  and  physical,  which  govern  existence 
everywhere,  the  effects  of  which  will  impel  him  to  accomplish  the 
ends  of  that  existence,  in  bringing  his  spirit  into  harmony  with  all 
the  manifestations  of  his  Creator!  Thusreason  becomes  religion, 
because  it  is  enlightened  by  a  knowledge  of  those  truths  which 
unfold  to  man  the  harmonic  relations  between  life  and  immortality, 
and  that  the  purest  sentiments  of  his  material  nature  spring  from 
the  higher  affections  of  his  spiritual,  and  the  union  of  these  is  the 
source  from  which  he  derives  his  purest  and  serenest  happiness. 
Then  would  the  universe  bear  witness  that  the  kingdom  of  God 
has  come  nigh  unto  all  men  ;  for  man  in  harmony  with  himself, 
with  his  fellow-man,  and  in  intimate  association  with  the  spirits  of 
the  other  world,  would  manifest  the  distinct  and  proper  attributes 
of  a  nature  so  transcendently  elevated  and  perfect,  that  he  might 
indeed  call  God  his  father,  and  claim  to  be  his  child. 

Is  there,  then,  no  hope  for  this  state  of  progress  and  happiness 
for  man,  either  under  the  dispensations  of  the  old  revelations  or 
the  promises  and  prospects  of  this  new  disclosure  ?  For  eighteen 
hundred  years  the  world  has  waited  for  the  coming  of  that  day 
when  man  should  live  in  harmony  with  his  brother  and  in  fellow- 
ship with  God.  Prophets  and  priests  have  foretold  its  advent,  and 
predicted  the  millennium  by  the  positive  promises  which  have 
been  made  by  spirits  of  the  other  world.  And  may  it  not  be  that 
the  shades  of  that  long  night  are  now  shimmering  into  newborn 
day,  the  dawn  of  which  colors  the  shadows  of  ages  with  its  own 
bright  tints  of  hope  and  promise  !  Even  now  the  prayer  ascends 
from  millions  of  happy  hearts,  disenthralled  and  redeemed  from 
death  to  life  by  the  power  of  those  truths  which  Spiritualism  has 
revealed — that  the  time  may  soon  come  when  peace  shall  reign 
on  earth,  and  good  will  to  man  be  manifest  in  the  earnest  endeavor 
of  all  to  assist  each  other  to  increase  their  own  excellence,  and  the 
purity  and  happiness  of  the  whole  race. 

If  such  results  may  flow  from  the  effects  which  Spiritualism 
may  produce  on  the  material  and  spiritual  powers  of  man  either  here 
or  hereafter,  what  is  there  to  justify  an  intelligent  mind  in  rejecting 
its  claims  or  refusing  it  a  fair  and  unbiased  examination  ?  It  -is 
true  we  can  not  cast  off  from  us  at  once  the  opinions  which  we 
have  cherished  for  years,  but  we  all  can  grant  even  to  new  ideas 
that  consideration  which  the  extent  and  importance  of  their  claims 


INTRODUCTION.  75 

seem  to  demand.  The  doctrines  we  advocate  demand  no  more. 
The  whole  subject  of  our  religion,  and  the  proofs  which  support  it, 
can  not  be  learned  at  a  glance.  All  then  we  ask  is,  that  we  may 
not  be  opposed  with  presumptuous  ignorance  upon  this  subject, 
which  we  regard  as  sacred  and  holy  ;  for,  perhaps,  its  truths  may 
burst  upon  the  unprepared  mind  with  all  the  terrible  certainty 
which  will  make  its  application  individual.  The  first  victory  which 
truth  gains  should  be  over  our  own  hearts ;  for  then,  whether  we 
remain  on  earth  or  are  summoned  to  our  eternal  home,  we  are 
prepared  for  all  exigencies.  Calm  in  the  prospect  of  that  which  is 
before  us,  we  shall  feel,  when  we  leave  this  earth,  that  we  are 
only  going  a  journey  into  another  country,  where  the  loved  and 
loving  wait  to  receive  us,  and  where  our  joys,  our  hopes,  and  our 
aspirations  are  centered  for  ever. 


GEO.  T.  DEXTER 


December  1,  1854. 


SPIRITUALISM.  77 


Btttun  §m. 

Saturday,  July  30th,  1853. 
This  evening,  the  Doctor  was  in  my  library,  and  after  conversing 
some  time,  I  uttered  the  wish  to  hear  from  Lord  Bacon. 
He  soon  wrote : 

Well,  my  friend,  though  I  am  always  with  you,  still  I 
can  not  make  myself  visible  or  talk  with  you  without  the 
Doctor's  aid.  I  love  to  talk  with  you,  and  were  the  Doctor 
and  yourself  differently  situated,  I  should  probably  occupy 
more  of  your  time  than  perhaps  would  be  pledsant.  Have 
you  any  thing  to  ask  ?  If  so,  let  me  hear  it,  and  I  will  an- 
swer. Bacon. 

I  said :  No,  nothing  in  particular ;  but  after  such  an  effort  as  that  of 
the  last  two  or  three  days,  I  missed  the  company  and  sympathy  to 
which,  through  my  wife,  I  had  become  accustomed  so  many  years,  and 
I  longed  for  some  substitute. 

It  was  answered : 

Yes,  and  you  want  to  know  if  you  have  acted  rightly. 
This  feeling  is  a  consequent  of  the  long  and  affectionate 
intercourse  between  yourself  and  wife.  I  can  never  fill 
that  void,  for  these  feelings,  predicated  on  the  young,  fresh, 
and  pure  sentiments  of  your  heart,  unimpressed  with  the 
image  of  any  other  spirit,  can  realize  at  this  time  of  life  no 
other  substitute  which  will  fill  that  want,  now  a  want  in- 
deed of  the  soul. 

I  look  at  you,  and  feel  for  you  as  a  man,  pyoud  of  you 
in  the  position  you  occupy,  and  striving  to  assist  you  in 
the  efforts  to  accomplish  what  is  before  you.  I  can  joy 
with  your  joy,  and  sorrow  with  your  sorrow,  take  delight 


78  SPIRITUALISM. 

in  all  that  interests  you,  and  act  with  you  in  carrying  out 
your  plans  and  purposes. 

But  when  the  spirit  turns  back  upon  itself,  and  seeks 
from  itself  that  response  which  met  it  at  every  point  of 
life ;  when  looking  at  its  own  yearnings  and  motives,  it 
finds  reflected  the  same  aspirations  of  another  spirit  so 
closely  assimilated  that  it  becomes  a  part  of  his  own,  then 
there  can  be  no  sharing,  no  participation  outside  of  that 
congeniality,  but  the  spirit's  which  has  taken  up  its  resting- 
place  in  your  own. 

Dear  Judge,  in  the  sentiments  of  your  heart,  in  every 
good  motive,  in  every  act  in  which  you  have  conquered 
the  propensities  of  self  and  the  idiosyncrasies  of  your 
nature,  you  have  acted  out,  through  yourself,  the  very 
spirit-action  of  your  wife.  It  is  thus  she  claims  the  pre- 
rogative of  your  wife  still.  It  is  thus  she  manifests  the 
love  which,  growing  brighter  and  purer,  will,  at  last,  bring 
you  together,  when  as  one  forever  you  will  exhibit  the 
same  feelings,  the  same  progression,  till  you  develop  all 
the  attributes  of  goodness  and  perfection  in  that  state  of 
existence  where  there  is  no  change,  no  separation  for  eter- 
nity. 


SPIBiTUALIBM.  19 


nixan  ®foo. 


Sunday,  July  31st,  1853. 
The  circle  met  this  evening  at  Dr.  Dexter's.     Among  other  things  I 
read  to  them  a  letter  which  I  had  been  preparing  for  publication.    After 
doing  so,  the  Doctor  was  influencedj  and  wrote  as  follows : 

Now  let  there  be  silence,  and  let  your  minds  picture 
the  spirits  surrounding  you,  influencing  the  medium,  and 
assisting  to  carry  out  the  intent  of  this  meeting. 

My  dear  friends,  for  a  long  time  have  I  and  other  spirits 
visited  your  circle,  and  endeavored  to  teach,  through  the 
Doctor,  the  circumstances  connected  with  our  spiritual  life. 
We  have  carefully  abstained  from  advancing  any  thing 
opposed  to  the  great  laws  established  by  God,  and  have 
as  carefully  adhered  to  the  truth  as  it  is  known  to  us,  that 
we  might  direct  your  minds  to  the  investigation  of  those 
great  principles  on  which  is  based  every  act  of  material 
life  and  every  phenomenon  belonging  to  the  spheres.  It 
has  rarely  been  my  fortune  to  meet  so  long  with  a  circle 
whose  individual  members  have  so  sincerely  desired  the 
explanation  of  Spiritualism,  unmixed  with  any  personal 
motive,  unmingled  with  any  preconceived  doctrine  or 
opinion.  We  have,  therefore,  refrained  from  special  teach- 
ings or  communications,  and  have  considered  the  great 
whole  of  our  subject  as  the  important  object  to  be  accom- 
plished. But  there  are  circumstances  which  would  justify 
us  in  directing  our  communications  to  one  or  more  indi- 
viduals, as  in  giving  certain  advice  or  in  answer  to  special 
and  particular  inquiries,  or  in  giving  some  direction  as  to 
their  cooperation  in  the  mighty  purpose  in  which  we  are 
all  interested.     But  there  may  be  another  aspect  in  which 


8Q  SPIEITIJALISM.     ' 

a  special  communication  would  be  proper,  and  that  is, 
when  the  course  of  procedure  of  any  one  of  our  circle 
may  not  be  plain  and  distinct  to  his  mind,  and  he  requires 
our  aid  in  opening  to  him  the  effect  of  certain  action ;  or 
when,  too,  one  of  our  friends  may  demand  explanation 
when  our  teachings  have  been  ambiguous  and  obscure. 
To-night  it  becomes  my  duty  to  communicate  to  two  of 
this  circle  personally ;  to  one  in  reference  to  his  position 
as  a  believer  in  the  communication  of  spirits  with  the  liv- 
ing, and  also  to  give  him  our  advice  in  reference  to  its 
effect  on  himself  as  a  man,  and  on  the  world,  to  whom  he 
owes  proper  respect  in  consequence  of  the  high  position 
he  occupies,  emanating  from  that  world  to  whose  opinions 
he  is  bound  to  show  proper  respect.  To  the  other  indivi- 
dual I  am  to  speak  in  reference  to  the  effect  of  certain 
causes  on  his  mind,  and  the  consequent  evil  or  good  which 
may  grow  out  of  this  effect  as  influencing  the  great  duty 
before  him,  and  the  cause  with  which  he  is  now  identified 
either  for  good  too  or  evil. 

Having  said  this  much,  I  now  commence  with  you.  Judge 
Edmonds.  Every  individual,  whether  of  high  or  low  de- 
gree, is  possessed  of  certain  inherent  prerogatives  aside 
from  those  on  which  are  founded  his  civil  or  political 
rights.  Every  person  of  sound  mind  and  of  sufficient  edu- 
cation is  bound  to  serve  the  community  in  which  he  resides 
in  such  capacity  as  will  most  conduce  to  its  best  interests 
and  advance  the  common  good  of  all. 

All  persons  are  not  fit  for  every  position  in  the  gift  of  a 
free  people,  but  a  man  accepting  office  from  the  independ- 
ent suffrages  of  any  community,  pledges  himself,  in  so 
doing,  that  he  will  not  only  perform  the  duties  of  that 
office  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  but  he  tacitly  consents, 
under  this  contract,  to  explain  to  his  constituents  any  great 
change  which  may  take  place  in'  his  opinion  on  any  sub- 
ject, apparently  or  positively,  affecting  the  duties  or  influ- 
ences of  his  office,  or  the  received  and  acknowledged  ideas 
on  which  the  whole  of  their  religion  may  be  based ;  that 


SPIRITUALISM.  81 

religion,  we  mean,  which  is  the  common  belief  of  this  peo- 
ple, and  that  on  wliich  its  laws  and  its  government  are 
based.  ]^o  free  people  can  demand  that  its  governors,  its 
judges,  or  any  one  of  its  oflBcers  shall,  as  a  qualification, 
avow  that  he  believes  in  the  same  denominational  creed 
as  any  one  of  its  people  profess  to  believe ;  but  they  can 
demand  and  should  require  a  pure  and  devotional  belief 
in  one  God,  and  that  any  candidate  for  or  incumbent  of 
office  should  exhibit  by  his  daily  life  and  conversation 
that  he  shows  proper  respect  to  the  laws  which  that  God 
has  established  in  relation  to  the  natural  world  and  his 
fellow-creatures. 

Therefore,  when  any  great  or  fundamental  change  takes 
place  in  the  opinion  of  any  individual  holding  a  high  of- 
fice, upon  the  objects  involving  an  entire  revolution  in  the 
developments  of  the  common  religion,  or  in  those  subjects 
which  are  supposed  to  be  but  little  understood  and  but 
partially  revealed  by  the  great  God  who  rules  our  creation, 
I  say  he  is  bound  to  show  the  reason  of  his  belief  and  the 
causes  which  induced  it,  as  well  as  the  moral  effects  which 
he  supposes  will  arise  from  it,  and  the  good  that  may  re- 
sult to  him,  to  his  office,  and  to  the  people  themselves. 

The  reasons  for  this  compliance  are  sufficiently  obvious.. 
Elected  to  office  with  the  understanding  that  he  recognizes 
the  religious  doctrines  of  the  church  which  he  has  attend- 
ed with  his  parents,  or  acknowledging  the  obligations  ad^ 
mitted  by  the  whole  Christian  world,  he  actually  admits 
that  he  accepts  as  his  belief  the  principles  on  which  the 
laws  he  administers  are  built.  Thus  the  civil  laws-  are 
based  on  the  moral  law,  "  Do  unto  others,"  etc.,  and  no 
difference  in  the  specific  application  of  any  statute  (or  no 
law,  however  apparently  individual  in  its  effects)  can  be 
viewed  in  any  other  aspect  than  as  based  on  this  axiom, 
emanating,  as  understood  and  accepted,  from  a  divine 
source.  The  violation  of  a  law  does  not  suppose  a  conse- 
quent punishment  because  the  law  itself  has  been  trans- 
gressed, but  that  in  violating  the  law  you  break  the  image 


82  SPIRITUALISM. 

of  its  principles,  and  that  is  the  obligation  which  it  im- 
poses on  every  man  to  do  nnto  his  neighbor  as  he  requires 
that  neighbor  to  do  unto  him. 

Now,  if  yon,  Judge  Edmonds,  have  accepted  the  office 
you  now  hold,  you  did  so  publicly  pledging  yourself  to 
administer  justice  predicated  on  the  principle  expressed 
above.  You  said,  "  I  understand  the  laws  of  my  country 
and  state,  and  to  the  best  of  my  ability  w411  I  see  them 
executed  ;"  but  at  the  same  time  you  said,  "I  believe  as 
the  whole  Christian  world  believe — I  am  a  Christian,  al- 
though I  do  not  conform  to  the  doctrines  of  any  church 
or  sect.-' 

You  now  have  seen  sufficient  reasons  to  change  the  fun- 
damental principles  of  that  belief.  You  do  not  believe  as 
the  whole  Christian  world  believes,  and,  in  this  view  of  the 
case,  you  are  bound  to  set  right  the  public  mind  in  regard 
to  the  difference  existing  between  your  conclusions,  de- 
rived from  careful  and  protracted  investigation,  and  those 
doctrines  from  which  you  have  the  right  to  differ.  Why 
so  ?  Because  you  disabuse  the  public  mind  of  any  erro- 
neous notions  of  the  character  of  that  belief — you  remove 
all  the  obscurity  with  which  your  silence  would  invest 
your  opinion,  and  you  show  to  the  world,  that  while  you 
do  not  deny  either  God  or  his  laws,  you,  on  the  contrary, 
are  now  more  observant  of  the  moral  obligations  those 
laws  impose,  and  that  your  duties  to  your  fellow-men  are 
made  more  imperious  in  your  action  toward  them.  You 
show  them,  that  instead  of  denying  the  great  principle  of 
all  religion,  you  accept  it  as  even  more  obligatory  than 
under  the  religion  you  formerly  believed,  and  that  without 
calling  on  the  aid  of  those  from  whom  you  could  receive 
counsel  and  assistance,  your  mind,  renewing,  as  it  were, 
its  inherent  and  acquired  attributes,  develops  new  powers 
by  thei  omnipotent  might  of  progression.  You  exemplify 
by  youTiciaily  acts  that  your  intercourse  with  your  race  is 
of  a  more  elevated  charater,  void  of  selfishness,  and  de- 
voted'-to :  tb^jr  absolute   advance   in  all  knowledge  and 


SPIBITUALISM.  83 

goodness,  both  in  your  world  and  in  the  world  to  come. 
Aside  from  official  position  and-influence,  you  come  nearer 
to  the  innate  necessities  of  their  nature,  and  you  develop 
all  of  good  of  which  that  nature  is  capable.  You  contract 
no  power,  no  resource,  no  ability ;  but  the  whole  boundless 
universe  is  unlocked,  and  they  are  ushered  into  a  liberty 
of  action  so  glorious,  that  the  soul  is  satisfied  that  it  is  to 
its  own  rights  these  things  are  vouchsafed.  Men  believe, 
because  there  is  no  happiness  without  it. 

These  things  it  was  necessary  you  should  know,  as  the 
views  of  spirits  in  reference  to  yourself;  and  now  one  word 
more.  In  the  article  which  you  have  prepared,*  explain- 
ing your  views  on  the  subject  of  Spiritualism,  you  have 
done  all  that  we  could  desire ;  and,  although  we  are  no 
prophets,  we  feel  confident  that  its  efiect  will  be  to  give 
you  more  stability  as  an  officer  and  more  true  regard  as  a 
man.  Sweedenborg  and  others. 


ttiian  C|ree. 

Sunday,  Aug.  "Ith^  1853. 
This  evening,  at  the  circle  at  Dr.  Dexter's  (it  being  the  next  day  after 
my  letter  had  appeared),  it  was  written  : 

Mt  children,  let  your  minds  imagine  a  sphere,  or,  rather, 
a  locality,  exquisitely  beautiful,  diversified  with  every  va- 
riety of  scenery,  with  lofty  mountains  stretching  out  far  in 
the  distance,  and  broad  valleys  teeming  with  vegetation  of 
most  luxuriant  growth,  with  noble  rivers  flowing  through 

*  Alluding  to  my  letter  to  the  public  of  the  date  of  1st  August,  1853. 


84:  SPIRITUALISM. 

these  valleys,  and  deep  forests  skirting  the  sides  of  these 
mountains ;  imagine  plains  and  undulating  surfaces  laid 
out  in  fields  and  gardens,  with  flowers  of  every  hue  and 
odor,  and  here  and  there  beautiful  residences  scattered  over 
the  whole  territory;  imagine,  in  fact,  a  world  most  beau- 
tiful in  its  harmonious  blending  of  the  practical  with  the 
artistic,  and  in  the  divine  order  with  which  every  arrange- 
ment has  been  nlade  for  the  pleasure  and  profit  of  those 
beings  who  were  to  inhabit  it.  Then  imagine  this  world 
filled  with  an  almost  untold  number  of  intelligent  spirits, 
whose  thoughts  are  constantly  directed  to  those  subjects 
which  will  conduce  most  to  the  development  of  mind,  which 
will  elicit  most  of  good  from  every  thing  around,  and  which 
will  contribute  most  to  the  advancement  of  one  another 
resident  in  that  localit}^,  and  their  same  race  on  your  earth. 
Imagine,  too,  that  these  beings  are  interested  in  every  thing 
which  tends  to  the  advancement  of  truth,  and  to  the  re* 
moval  of  every  impediment  which  may  obstruct  the  recip- 
rocal action  of  that  truth  in  its  upward  progress  from  earth 
toward  heaven,  and  then  imagine  the  deep,  the  ferv^ent, 
the  enthusiastic,  and  the  abiding  interest  with  \^ich  these 
beings  have  considered  the  wisdom  or  the  practicability  of 
the  publication  of  Judge  Edmonds'  letter,  and  the  effect 
which  that  letter  has  had  on  the  public  mind,  now  that  the 
press  has  given  utterance  to  the  sentiments  it  contains. 
Words  can  convey  no  adequate  conception  of  the  absorb- 
ing desire  which  animates  every  individual  to  see  for  himself 
or  herself  what  its  influence  may  be,  not  only  on  the  minds 
of  their  friends,  but  also  on  the  feelings  of  those  persons 
who  have  opposed  spirit-revelation  from  the  beginning  to 
the  present  time.  There  are  gatherings  here  and  there. 
Under  the  shade  of  some  majestic  tree  you  will  picture  a 
party  of  men  and  women  discussing,  in  terms  of  no  com- 
mon interest,  this  letter.  In  some  house,  where  there  may 
be  friends  visiting,  and  from  other  localities  (whose  affin- 
ities correspond),  you  will  see  the  delight,  the  anxiety,  the 
confidence,  the  hope  and  the  faith  which  are  expressed  in 


SPIRITUALISM.  85 

the  countenances  of  both  the  friends  and  their  visitors.  In 
the  depths  of  the  forest,  and  amid  the  silence  of  nature, 
you  may  imagine  spirits  meeting  spirits,  and  the  first  salu- 
tation is,  "  The  Judge's  letter  is  out."  In  the  conferences 
on  subjects  belonging  to  the  government,  of  neighborhoods 
or  communities,  the  business  is  deferred,  and  the  talk  is 
about  this  letter.  Spirits  traversing  the  air,  and  meeting  in 
space  with  other  spirits,  stop  and  accost  one  another,  and, 
while  floating  on  the  transparent  medium,  they  ask,  What 
will  be  the  influence  of  this  first  direct  onset  on  the  ancient 
superstition  and  errors  of  the  world  ? 

"We  are  satisfied ;  and  we  trust  that  what  of  pain  there 
may  be  in  this  effort,  the  good  it  may  do  will  compensate 
for  all  anxiety. and  care,  and  afford  a  joy  so  pure  and  last- 
ing that  it  shall  satisfy  the  soul  that  it  can  really  feel  the 
links  of  that  chain  which  cements  it  with  these  spheres  and 
eternity. 

Oh !  when  a  duty  has  been  done,  and  the  spirit  which 
has  shrunk  and  hesitated  has  at  last  boldly  dared  to  do  and 
Acknowledge  truth,  how  its  responses  tell  to  the  vibrating 
feelings  of  the  soul,  "I  am  indeed  forever,  and  I  know  that 
I  am  ascending ;  I  know  that  I  am  of  God." 

SWEEDENBOEG. 

I  said  I  should  like  to  know  if  they  had  a  copy  of  the  letter  there, 
and  if  not,  how  they  knew  so  well  what  was  its  purport  ? 

Mr.  Warren  replied,  that  he  had  no  doubt  they  had  copies  of  it 
there,  etc. 

I  answered,  I  did  not  want  to  speculate  on  the  subject.  I  wanted 
to  know. 

It  was  written  : 

Why,  you  must  speculate.  Do  you  suppose  that  the 
millions  of  spirits  who  were  in  attendance  on  their  friends 
in  your  world,  and  heard  the  letter  read,  heard  the  com- 
ments made,  and-  heard  the  expressions  uttered  between  in- 
dividuals who  had  not* read  the  letter,  but  who  knew  of 
the  publication,  did  not  know  of  it?  and  then,  do  you  not 
suppose  that  the  sentiments  of  that  letter  were  made  known 


86  SPIRITUALISM. 

by  tlie  spirits  who  attended  your  circle,  and  each  individual 
to  the  thousands  with  whom  they  came  in  contact  ?  And 
can  you  then  ask  how  these  things  are  ? 

ISTow  for  the  proper  subjects  of  our  meeting. 

At  our  last  meeting,  when  I  made  a  communication,  I 
said  there  were  two  individuals  to  whom  some  things  were 
to  be  said  for  a  specific  purpose.  To  one  I  have  said  all 
that  was  necessary,  and  to-night  I  am  to  address  the  Doctor, 
for  the  reason  that  the  condition  of  his  mind,  while  it  pro- 
duces its  own  unhappiness,  does  in  some  measure  influence 
the  communications  through  him,  and  retard  the  full  and 
ready  flow  of  that  connecting  current  whose  uninterrupted 
circulation  is  so  important  to  the  circle  and  the  spirits  who 
attend  it. 

It  is  now  over  two  years.  Doctor,  I  believe,  since  your 
mind  was  flrst  directed  to  the  phenomenon  of  spirit-man- 
ifestations. Your  mind,  naturally  conservative,  rejected 
this  new  subject  with  more  than  its  ordinary  prejudice,  as 
opposed  to  every  thing,  natural  and  divine.  But  after  you 
had  consented  to  an  investigation,  you  did  not  admit  as 
positive  proof  what  you  could  attribute  neither  to  collusion 
nor  nature's  laws,  or  what  you  could  neither  explain  nor 
ascribe  to  any  individual  concurrence  or  participation.- 
For  a  long  time  you  were  influenced  by  two  different  sets 
of  feelings ;  at  one  time  almost  believing  from  the  force  of 
the  evidence,  and  at  another  rejecting  all  evidence,  and 
especially  that  which  came  from  individual  experience,  and 
not  direct  to  yourself  from  the  spirits.  From  the  very  first 
I  knew  you  could  be  made  a  powerful  instrument  for  the 
advancement  of  our  cause,  and  also  an  almost  all-powerful 
instrument  in  disseminating  truth  and  goodness  through 
the  world. 

Knowing  this,  and  analyzing  your  feelings,  studying  the 
action  of  your  mind  and  character,  I  have  since  that  time 
been  constantly  at  work  to  present  the  subject  to  your  un- 
derstanding in  such  an  aspect  as  would  remove  all  opposi- 
tion and  convince  you  of  the  truth  and  of  the  divine  nature 


SPIRITUALISM.  87 

of  its  revelations.  But  there  was  a  time  when  I  almost 
despaired  of  ever  bringing  your  mind  to  a  calm  considera- 
tion of  the  subject,  and  eliciting  a  desire  to  know  more 
than  you  already  had  learned.  Still,  siatisfied  and  under 
the  urgent  cooperation  of  other  spirits,  and  of  the  infiu, 
ence  of  great  plans  and  important  movements  in  connection 
with  the  subject,  I  strove  with  you,  and  at  last,  more  b^^ 
the  action  of  your  own  mind  on  itself  and  the  deep  affec 
tion  which  you  entertain  for  your  wife,  you  suddenly  de- 
termined to  go  on  in  your  inquiries  and  arrive  at  the  truth, 
if  that  truth  was  to  be  reached. 

Thus  you  commenced  ;  and  immediately  seizing  the  op- 
portunity, in  concert  with  others,  we  also  commenced  the 
teachings  with  a  specific  purpose,  which  was,  to  give  to  the 
world,  what  I  two  years  since  avowed  to  you  I  would  do, 
my  true  religious  sentiments,  through  you.  In  selecting 
you  as  the  medium  of  communicating  to  the  world  my  doc- 
trines, and  also  an  account  of  the  life  and  occupation  of  the 
spirits,  I  did  so,  feeling  that  through  you  I  could  give  that 
which  was  a  true  and  just  account,  without  any  inter- 
mingling of  your  own  thoughts  with  the  subject,  and  be- 
cause I  knew  that  the  innate  and  cultivated  powers  of  your 
mind  were  just  what  I  desired,  to  enable  me  to  fashion  my 
teachings  into  proper  shape  and  substance. 

To  you,  therefore,  did  I  say  two  years  ago,  "I  will  write 
a  new  Heaven  and  Hell  through  your  hand.  Dr.  Dexter, 
and  it  shall  be  given  to  the  world  as  a  correction  of  what  I 
had  written  while  in  the  form." 

You  may  justly  conclude,  therefore,  that  while  I  selected 
you  for  the  ease  with  which  I  could  impress  you,  there 
were  other  circumstances  which  rendered  your  cooperation 
of  great  importance,  and  made  you  of  as  much  value  to 
me  as  my  teachings  would  be  to  the  world. 

But  it  was  to  the  mind  I  looked  for  that  assistance ;  it 
was  on  its  clear  comprehension,  its  love  of  truth,  its  dis- 
tinctness and  its  perception,  its  calmness  and  serenity,  and 
its  cheerfulness,  that  I  relied  and  expected  to  assist  me  in 


88 


SPIRITUALISM. 


my  arduous  task  of  writing  through  you  a  work  of  so  much 
importance,  and  which,  to  give  it  its  first  and  proper  effect 
on  the  world,  must  be  continued  until  two  more  volumes 
shall  have  been  written  ;  for  you  have  only  had  the  door 
opened— you  have  just  looked  within  the  curtain.  The  rev- 
elations which  will  be  continued  in  the  second  volume  will 
afford  you  more  light  than  your  mind  can  conceive.  Thus 
in  carrying  out  my  specified  design  individually,  and  the 
whole  plan  in  connection  with  others,  I  relied  on  your 
maintaining  that  condition  of  mind  which  would  enable  me 
to  give  graphically  the  more  important  truths  which  were 
to  come.  At  the  same  time,  on  your  mind,  mysQlf  and 
other  spirits  relied  to  assist  with  others  in  carrying  out  the 
great  plans  w^iich  have  been  shadowed  to  you. 

Doctor,  there  is  one  thing  certain  :  our  work,  your  work, 
is  of  more  importance  than  you  can  at  present  realize. 
Spirits  of  higher  position  than  any  with  whom  you  have 
had  intercourse  are  to  teach  you  through  me,  and  also  per- 
sonally to  influence  your  hand,  and  write  out  what  takes 
place  in  the  localities  in  w^hich  they  reside ;  to  give  de- 
scriptions of  places,  the  customs,  habits,  laws,  and  govern- 
ment of  each  locality  ascending ;  to  give  the  history  of 
the  progression  of  spirit  from  sphere  to  sphere  ;  the  j)assage 
from  one  to  another ;  the  history,  too,  of  the  surface  of  the 
earth,  or,  rather,  the  spheres ;  the  vegetation,  such  as  the 
flowers,  fruits,  trees,  and  all  those  vegetables  which  are  cul- 
tivated for  the  use  of  the -spirit ;  the  animals  found  there  ; 
the  spirit-communion  and  power ;  in  fine,  every  thing  in 
connection  with  life  in  the  spheres  in  the  ascending  scale  as 
far  upward  as  it  is  possible  to  have  any  distinct  and  tangible 
communication.  If  this  is  so,  and  I  here  proclaim  it  to  be 
the  truth,  of  how  much  importance,  of  what  vast  interest  is 
it  to  us  and  to  Spiritualists,  yes,  to  the  whole  world,  that 
your  mind  should  not  be  disturbed  with  anxious  cares  and 
perplexities.  I  need  not  say,  call  wisdom  to  your  aid,  for 
I  daily  see  your  struggles,  and  I  heard  your  prayer  to-night 
for  strength  and  assistance.     But,  dear  Doctor,  both  your- 


SPIRITUALISM.  89 

self  and  the  Judge  know  what  has  been  said  ;  you  ha^^ftf" 
manuscript  now  what  has  been  written,  of  what  is  before 
you.  Your  own  mind  has  reflected  on  this  matter ;  yon 
have  carefully  digested  and  compared  every  statement 
made  to  you  and  to  others,  and  you  have  just  as  carefully 
considered  your  own  connection  with  these  p.ui.b  as  you 
have  what  else  has  been  taught  to  you.  Boundless  as  is 
the  field,  then,  still  there  must  be  proper  seed  sown,  and 
proper  men  to  work  it.  Much  depends,  both  to  the  cause 
and  those  engaged  in  it,  that  the  teachings  should  be  of 
such  a  nature  as  to  convince  the  common  sense  of  those 
who  desire  to  learn.  It  is  not  every  mind  that  can  com- 
prehend what  is  necessary  to  effect  our  purpose  ;  it  is  not 
every  mind  through  whom  we  could  commune.  There  are 
very  few  persons  in  the  world  through  whom  these  teach- 
ings could  have  been  made.  You  ask,  why  so  ?  I  reply, 
if  so,  they  would  have  been  made  long  ago,  if  it  were  pos 
Bible.  Men  of  more  profound  learning  than  yourself  have 
been  tried,  and  of  more  absolute  powers  of  mind,  but  they 
could  not  be  molded  to  the  great  purpose  we  had  to  accom- 
plish. 

Can  you  not  therefore  understand  the  necessity  of  your 
being  free  from  anxiety,  that  your  mind  should  be  like  a 
spirited  horse,  fiery,  bold,  proud  in  its  own  consciousness 
of  strength,  able  and  powerful,  but  still  easily  influenced 
by  the  gentle  means  we  exert? 

As  on  you  the  whole  of  this  matter  depends,  you  must 
reflect  seriously  what  must  be  done  for  yourself  to  enable 
you  to  continue  that  condition  of  mind  which  has  allowed 
spirits  so  remarkably  to  communicate  through  you.  It  be- 
comes of  too  grave  import  to  defer  longer,  for  as  soon  as 
the  manuscript  written  is  corrected,  we  design  to  com- 
mence the  preparatory  steps  of  the  new  volume. 

Dear  Doctor,  I  have  written  enough.  I  can  not  say,  "Do 
so  or  thus  ;"  I  can  only  point  out  to  you  the  importance 
of  having  your  mind  in  an  easy,  passive  state,  and  the 
great  injury  it  would  be  to  the  cause  of  Spiritualism  now, 


90  SPIEITFALISM. 

if  bj  any  means  you  sliould  be  prevented  from  going  on 
with  your  work,  or  that  our  influence  should  be  disturbed 
or  weakened,  or  that  any  thing  should  interrupt  the  mighty 
plans  laid  out  and  partially  revealed  to  you,  from  being 
essentially  and  positively  completed. 
I  have  said  enough.     Good-night.  Sweedenbokg. 


Sution  Jfjur. 

Sunday,  Sept.  4th,  1853. 

This  evening,  at  Dr.  Baxter's,  the  whole  circle  being  present,  the  first 
manifestation  was  by  a  female,  who  was  unfamiliar  with  our  language. 
Her  first  effort  seemed  to  be  to  get  possession  of  the  medium. 

We  were  then  reminded  of  the  coursb  proposed  the  other  evening,  and 
of  the  subject  of  the  teaching — namely,  Progression,  from  inanimate 
matter  up  to  man. 

It  was  written : 

We  accept  it.  But  understand,  our  teachings  are  for 
popular  reading,  and  we  shall  reject  all  that  is  obscure  or 
technical,  and  try  and  elucidate  the  subject,  so  that  all 
who  run  may  read. 

We  also  wish  you  to  understand,  that  we  shall  not  give 
you  any  high-sounding  names  to  clothe  our  teachings  with 
their  sanction.  What  will  be  given  will  come  from  men 
developed  and  progressed,  who  are  pure  and  wise,  but  have 
only  simple  names  and  pure  lives  to  guarantee  what  they 
teach.  Bacon. 

Then  it  was  added  : 

Let  the  circle  remain  quiet  and  silent.  Judge  Edmonds, 
if  you  are  willing,  the  first  of  our  manifestations  shall  be 
through  you. 


SPIRITUALISM.  91 

Then  came  the  manifestation  through  me,  which  is  annexed  in  a 
separate  paper. 

After  it  was  concluded,  some  remarks  were  made  as  to  whether  what 
I  saw  was  a  picture  or  the  reality  ? 

And  it  was  written : 

ISTow  this  first  teaching  or  vision  of  fact  is  the  continu- 
ation of  our  second  vohime,  and  in  it  will  be  given  more 
of  life,  actual  life  of  spirits,  than  ever  before — their  occupa- 
tions, habits,  connections,  dress,  conversation,  pleasures, 
amusements,  business,  and,  in  fine,  all  that  could  or  should 
interest  you  as  belonging  to  the  spheres. 

You  see  distinctly  what  is  absolutely  going  on  in  the 
life  as  it  is,  and  the  particular  circumstances  which  occupy 
spirits  at  the  time  you  see  them.  And  you  look  at  them 
as  through  a  window  at  the  real  scenes  of  earthly  life  be- 
fore you,  and  the  persons  acting  therein.  IlTow  these 
things  are  given  to  your  spirit,  which  is  lifted  upward,  and 
gifted  w4th  the  faculty  of  really  seeing  what  is  described. 

This  vision  will  continue  several  nights,  and  illustrate 
many  things  not  before  dreamed  of  in  your  philosophy. 

The  teachings  now  will  assume  the  particular  details  of 
real  life,  and  what  is  given  is  the  reality  of  life  as  it  is. 
You  may  suppose  many  things  your  own  imagination,  but 
it  is  really  the  absolute  reality  of  living  fact. 

Bacon. 

I  remarked  with  some  surprise,  that  at  the  close  of  the  vision  I  had 
seen  horses  and  carriages  there. 
It  was  written : 

That  is  not  strange.  You  will  have  the  whole  of  the 
vision  and  the  explanation  by-and-by.  There  is  nothing 
out  of  common  sense  and  truth  in  what  will  be  given. 

It  was  added : 

You  shall  see  the  passage  of  a  spirit  from  sphere  to 
sphere. 

Some  remark  was  made  by  one  of  the  circle  as  to  the  time  that  would 
elapse  before  passing  to  the  higher  spheres. 


92  SPIRITUALISM. 


It  was  written : 


Why,  it  takes  an  eternity  to  reach  the  celestial  spheres. 
I  mean,  ages  on  ages  shall  roll  away,  before  progression 
can  develop  attributes  to  entitle  us  to  a  residence  in 
heaven. 

Mr.  Warren  remarked  it  would  seem  short. 
It  was  written : 

True,  true,  Mr.  W.,  it  is  but  a  day,  a  brief  hour.  If 
every  aspiration  is  upward,  as  the  soul  yearns  for  progress, 
so  shall  that  progress  be. 

Mr.  W.  asxed  into  what  sphere  that  spirit  would  pass  ? 
It  was  answered  : 

They  are  not  marked  by  lines,  but  affinities. 

I  inquired  if  she  would  pass  into  his  sphere,  or  one  ahove  or  below  his  ? 
It  was  answered  : 

!N"o ;  my  affinities  are  not  distinctly  given,  for  all  my 
thought  is  on  earth,  as  my  duty  is  there  ;  but  she  will  pass 
beyond  your  thought. 

Mr.  W.  and  Mrs.  Dexter  remarked  they  did  not  understand  that. 
It  was  written : 

It  is  easily  understood.  She  will  go  to  those  globes 
where  man's  thought  has.  not  reached,  where  human  intel- 
lect has  never  explored,  and  where  all  is  afe  bright  as  it  is 
harmonious. 

Mr.  W.  made  some  remark  about  distance  being  no  criterion  of  a  supe- 
rior sphere. 

It  was  written : 

Mr.  W.,  the  nearest  to  this  solar  system  is  the  greatest 
amount  of  materiality.  The  farther  otf  and  upward,  the 
less  grossness.  Of  all  the  things  that  God  has  created, 
this  world  and  its  connections  are  the  most  material. 
God's  manifestations  must  be  more  distinct  somewhere. 
Therefore  the  nearer  this  point,  the  greater  the  ethereal- 
ity. 


SPIRITUALISM.  03 

Then  the  paper  was  signed  in  several  different  handwritings : 

"  Bacon, 
sweedenboeg. 
Alta. 
Jean. 
Samuel,  and  others." 

We  asked  who  Samuel  was  ?  the  prophet  we  read  of  in  the  Bible  ? 
It  was  answered : 

He  is  one  wjiose  memory  is  lost  in  the  ages  which  have 
passed  since  he  left  the  earth. 

Jean  is  a  Frenchman. 

Alta  is  a  Druidess,  and  has  by  the  force  of  her  aspira- 
tions risen  to  the  bright  spheres.  She  was  sacrificed  on  a 
stone  altar  by  the  priests.  The  times  and  scenes  which 
signalized  her  earthly  life,  and  the  whole  of  her  career 
while  in  the  spheres  will  be  given  you. 

VISION. 

I  was  carried  rapidly  up  to  the  temple  where  I  had  been 
twice  before.  So  rapid  was  the  transit,  that  I  noticed 
nothing  by  the  way,  nor  until  I  found  myself  inside  the 
temple,  and  on  the  platform  where  the  Presiding  Spirit 
had  sat.  There  was  no  assemblage  of  any  great  numbers 
there.  I  saw  occasionally  one  or  two  passing  along  the 
galleries  or  across  the  area,  as  if  going  along  in  the  trans- 
action of  their  business.  On  the  platform  six  or  seven 
spirits  were  standing,  grouped  together,  and  discussing 
how  they  could  get  a  person  as  material  as  I  was,  up  to  the 
higher  spheres.  One  of  them  remarked,  "  That.it  was  a 
good  deal  to  get  me  as  far  as  they  had !"  Another  said, 
"Yes,  but  we  can  take  him  still  farther."  This  was  all  I 
noticed  particularly  of  their  conversation,  though  I  per- 
ceived what  its  general  purport  was. 

I  was  standing  alone  by  myself,  on  the  left  cornej"  of  th^3 
platform  nearest  the  area.     On  my  left  there  was  an  open- 


94:  SPIRITUALISM.  . 

ing  in  the  side  of  the  temple,  which  enabled  me  to  notice 
the  scene  which  lay  in  that  direction.  Close  to  the  temple 
arose  a  steep,  rocky,  rugged  hill,  very  difficult  to  ascend. 
It  was  enveloped  in  a  hazy  atmos23here,  w^hich  rendered 
objects  somewhat  indistinct,  and  which  was  very  nnlike 
the  clear,  transparent  air  that  w^as  found  inside  the  temple. 
I  examined  the  side  hill  very  closely,  and  saw  that  it  could 
not  be  ascended,  except  by  climbing  on  my  hands  and 
knees,  and  clinging  to  the  rocks  and  roots  with  my  fingers 
and  toes.  The  question  arose  in  my  mind.  Was  I  willing 
to  climb  it?  It  would  be  a  hard  job  to  do  so,  and  danger- 
ous. See  how  far  it  ascends,  how  rough  and  rugged  are 
the  rocks,  and  the  least  step  would  dash  me  to  atoms 
below ! 

After  looking  at  it  for  some  time,  I  said  to  myself,  "I'll 
try  it,  at  any  rate."  While  this  was  going  on  in  my  mind, 
the  group'of  spirits  were  observing  me  intently,  and  when 
I  had  come  to  a  decision,  they  resumed  their  conversation, 
saying  to  each  other,  "  He  can  make  it  out." 

I  looked  again  to  see  th^  undertaking  that  was  before 
me,  and  to  examine  it  still  more  closely.  Then,  upon 
looking  to  see  how  I  could  get  to  the  side  hill,  I  discovered 
there  was  an  immense  gulf  between  me  and  the  hill,  which 
descended,  dark  and  gloomy,  far  down  below  where  my  eye 
could  reach.  I  could  discover  but  one  way  of  crossing  it, 
and  that  w^as  by  descending  a  very  steep  precijDice  to  a 
point  whei^e  the  rocks  jutted  out  from  both  sides,  and  where 
a  tree  had  been  felled  across  the  chasm,  presenting  a  slip- 
pery and  precarious  bridge  of  a  single  round  log.  It  was 
evident  that  I  could  cross  that  only  by  creeping,  and  cer- 
tain destruction  would  follow  the  least  slip  in  crossing.  As 
I  was  looking  at  it,  with  a  swelling  in  the  throat,  as  I  have 
sometimes  felt  at  the  approach  of  imminent  danger  in  my 
earthly  life,  I  discovered  another  difficulty  of  no  slight  char- 
acter, and  that  w^as  a  number  of  dark  and  malignant  spirits 
concealpd  under  the  projecting  rocks,  lying  in  wait  to  in- 
terrupt my  passage.     At  the  head  of  them  was  the  dark 


SPIRITUALISM.  95 

spirit  whom  I  saw  at  the  circle  on  "Wednesday  last.*    What 

*  To  explain  this  remark,  I  must  mention  that  it  had  then  lately  happened 
that  I  had  been  developed  to  see  the  spirits  that  were  around  and  near  me. 
The  first  time  this  had  occurred  to  me  was  in  July,  on  a  visit  to  Ohio,  where  I 
attended  a  circle,  all  of  whom  were  strangers  to  me,  except  two.  Soon  after 
we  were  seated,  I  perceived  what  was  so  new  and  unexpected  to  me,  that  I 
thought  it  the  effect  of  my  imagination.  I  saw  what  seemed  to  me  to  be  the 
spirits  who  were  in  attendance  on  each  one  present,  and  I  resorted  to  several 
devices  to  determine  whether  I  was  actually  seeing  them  or  merely  imagining 
it.  One  thing  among  others  which  satisfied  me  was,  that  being  requested  to 
ascertain  the  name  of  one  of  the  spirits  whom  I  described,  I  had  seen  it  write 
with  its  finger  in  the  air  the  word  "  Lucretia."  I  inquired  if  any  one  present 
recognized  the  name  ?  No  one  did,  and  then  on  my  request  for  the  residue  of 
the  name,  it  wrote  with  its  finger,  "  Charlotte  L.  De  Verde,"  a  name  which 
those  present  recognized  as  that  of  a  spirit  who  had  been  long  communing 
with  them,  but  which  I  had  never  heard  of  before. 

Shortly  after  my  return  home  from  my  visit  to  the  West,  one  evening  while 
the  Doctor  and  I  were  sitting  in  my  room  conversing  with  the  spirits,  I  saw 
near  me  the  spirit  of  an  acquaintance  who  had  died  in  this  city  six  or  eight 
years  ago.  The  third  time  I  saw  them  was  a  few  days  afterward,  when  I  was 
attending  a  circle  in  my  own  neighborhood.  The  medium  became  entranced, 
and  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  saw  very  distinctly  three  spirits,  who  were  at  work 
upon  him  to  bring  him  into  that  condition,  and  I  saw  that  when  he  arose  to 
speak,  he  but  repeated  the  language  which  one  of  them  was  uttering  to  him. 
I  was  xmaccustomed  to  this  phase  of  the  manifestation,  and  I  again  resorted  to 
various  plans  to  determine  whether  I  actually  saw  or  only  imagined.  Among 
other  things,  I  left  the  room  and  sat  for  some  time  in  an  adjoining  apartment, 
but  there  I  could  not  see  them,  though  the  moment  I  returned  to  the  room 
where  the  circle  was,  I  saw  them  again,  but  with  an  addition.  The  medium 
had  changed  his  position  during  my  absence  to  the  other  side  of  the  room. 
I  now  saw  behind  him  the  same  three  spirits,  but  I  saw  also  a  dark  spirit 
standing  directly  behind  him,  and  frequently  whispering  in  his  ear.  The 
medium  ceased  to  speak,  and  listened  to  this  whispering.  The  effort  evidently 
was  to  get  the  medium  to  speak  the  words  that  dark  spirit  was  whispering  to 
him,  but  in  vain.  This  continued  for  at  least  ten  minutes,  until  I  arose,  and  plac- 
ing myself  in  the  precise  position  where  he  stood,  I  laid  my  hand  on  the  me 
dium's  shoulder,  and  told  him  to  say  to  us  what  the  spirits  said  to  him.  He 
immediately  arose  and  finished  the  teachings  of  the  brighter  spirits  which  the 
whispering  of  the  darker  one  had  interrupted.  When  he  finished,  I  returned  to 
my  seat  and  saw  that  dark  spirit  had  resumed  his  place  and  his  whisperings,  but 
now  he  was  unable  to  awaken  the  attention  of  the  medium  at  all.  He  would  no 
longer  listen  to  him.  After  repeated  attempts  he  turned  to  me  with  a  fiendish 
expression  of  hatred  and  rage,  and,  raising  his  finger,  threatened  me.  He 
soon  after  left,  but  his  appearance  made  so  strong  an  impression  upon  me, 
that  I  had  no  difi&culty  in  recognizing  him  again  on  the  occasion  mentioned  in 
the  text. 


96  SPIRITUALISM. 

hate  and  mischief  there  was  in  his  look!  "Why  does  he 
hate  me  so  ?  I  never  knew  him  here.  But  never  mind," 
I  said,  "  I'll  make  the  passage,  if  I  have  to  fight  for  it." 
And  it  seemed  to  me  that  the  spirits  were  allowing  me  thus 
to  see  all  the  difficulties  of  the  waj,  that  I  might  realize 
them,  and  be  prepared  to  meet  them. 

At  this  moment  the  Doctor  was  called  out  of  the  room,  at  which  I  was  a 
good  deal  disturbed,  and  somewhat  irritated.  The  whole  scene  was  in- 
stantly distorted  as  if  broken  into  fragments,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before 
I  could  recall  it.  In  the  mean  time  I  became  conscious  that  the  dark  spirit 
had  seized  like  lightning  upon  the  irate  state  of  my  mind  to  produce  this 
confusion,  and  it  was  almost  impossible  for  me  to  shake  off  the  influence. 
After  a  while  I  saw  him  returning  to  his  lurking-place  under  the  rocks, 
and  he  gave  me  a  malignant  look,  saying,  ^'See  what  I  have  done  with 
your  picture.  Now  bring  it  back,  if  you  can."  And  he  further  said, 
"  What  is  the  use  of  your  waiting  for  those  spirits  to  get  through  with 
their  consultation ;  if  you  are  as  brave  as  you  pretend,  why  not  try  it 
yourself?"  I  was  almost  tempted  to  do  so,  goaded  by  his  reproaches; 
but  on  looking  at  the  group  of  bright  spirits,  I  saw  that  they  were  not 
at  all  disturbed,  and  had  full  confidence  that  I  would  wait  until  they 
should  tell  me  it  was  proper  to  cross.  This  restored  my  self-posses- 
sion, and  in  a  little  while  the  scene  all  came  back  again. 

I  wanted  to  pass  from  where  I  was  to  those  spirits,  to 
consult  with  them  about  the  journey,  but  there  suddenly 
seemed  to  be  an  opening  }n  the  floor,  of  the  platform 
between  me  and  them,  as  if  it  had  been  violently  torn 
asunder,  and  the  ends  of  the  broken  timber  projected  out 
in  difierent  places.  Beneath  the  opening  there  was  a 
dark  vault,  into  which  it  would  have  been  dangerous  to 
have  fallen.  It  seemed  to  me  that  this  obstruction  was  not 
real,  but  only  a  deceptive  appearance,  and  so  I  approached 
to  walk  over  it ;  but  as  I  came  near  the  edge,  the  sense  of 
its  reality  was  so  great,  that  I  did  not  dare  to  go  any 
farther.  Determined  not  to  be  thwarted,  I  decided  to  leap 
the  chasm,  though  the  distance  was  very  great.  So  with 
all  my  energies  concentrated,  I  made  the  leap,  and  alighted 
on  the  end  of  one  of  the  broken  timbers  on  the  opposite 
side.     As  I  struck  it,  it  gave  way  under  my  weight,  and  I 


SPIRITUALISM.  9T 

was  falling  over  backward  into  the  dark  abyss.  I  made 
one  more  desperate  leap,  and  landed  on  the  solid  platform 
near  the  group  of  spirits.  Finding  myself  safe,  I  turned  to 
look  at  the  danger  I  had  escaped,  and  lo !  there  was  no 
chasm  there.  The  platform  was  whole  and  smooth,  and  the 
whole  difficulty  had  been  of  my  own  creation  only.  What 
a  lesson ! 

I  approached  the  group  of  spirits,  and  there  the  dark  in- 
fluence was  on  me  again ;  for  that  part  of  the  platform  on 
which  they  stood  seemed  falling  from  under  them,  and  off 
on  my  right,  where  on  former  occasions  I  had  seen  that 
beautiful  garden,  with  its  transparent  leaves,  now  I  saw 
only  an  earthly  scene,  dark,  rocky,  and  repulsive ;  after  a 
little  struggle  that  also  passed  away,  and  the  former  scene 
returned. 

I  turned  to  the  spirits,  and  they  showed  me  another  path 
by  which  I  could  ascend  to  those  higher  regions,  and  avoid 
the  gulf  where  the  dark  spirits  were  lying  in  wait.  I  re- 
joiced exceedingly  at  the  prospect,  and  braced  myself  to 
the  task  of  ascending.  The  path  was  long  and  narrow, 
and  rugged  and  steep,  and  wound  around  spirally  upward. 
I  found  it,  however,  much  less  difficult  than  I  anticipated ; 
and  I  was  very  soon  at  the  entrance  to  a  scene  far  sur- 
passing in  loveliness  and  beauty  any  thing  I  had  yet  be- 
held. I  want  language  to  describe  it,  so  as  even  to  give  a 
faint  idea  of  its  surpassing  beauty.  The  light  that  rested 
on  the  whole  scene  was  of  itself  infinitely  lovely — it  was 
of  a  lake  color,  and  very,  very  soft.  What  pleasure  it 
must  be  to  live  ever  basking  in  such  a  light  as  that ! 

I  observed  this  light  as  I  approached  this  country,  and 
its  effects  on  the  entrance  to  it ;  that  entrance  was  by  a 
flight  of  steps,  with  heavy  balustrades  and  massive  posts. 
It  was  the  scene  represented  in  Wolcott's  frontispiece  ; 
but  where  he  has  strips  of  grass,  there  were  flower-beds, 
and  the  flowers,  where  touched  by  this  light,  sparkled 
like  innumerable  diamonds,  presenting  a  scene  more  bril- 
liant than  imagination  can  conceive.     If  my  sight  had  not 

7 


yo  SPIRITUALISM. 

in  a  measure  become  wonted  to  such  scenes,  tlie  dazzling 
splendor  would  have  been  too  much  for  me.  Every  thing 
around  me  glowed  and  sparkled  in  this  brilliant  and  gor- 
geous light. 

Here  came  again  that  dark  influence,  and  presented  to  my  view,  directly 
in  the  midst  of  that  delightful  country,  a  deep  and  dark  ravine,  bounded 
on  both  sides  by  rude  and  misshapen  earthly  hills.  I  spoke  of  it,  and 
the  spirits,  through  Dr.  Dexter,  wrote  : 

Wait  for  a  few  moments,  till  w^e  drive  them  away,  and 
give  your  mind  full  sway.  Bacon. 

I  accordingly  paused  for  a  few  moments,  and  was  relieved  for  the  rest 
of  the  sitting. 

The  beautiful  scene  returned  upon  me  again,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  I  could  stand  for  hours  in  one  spot  and  see 
ever,  new  beauties  around  me.  On  my  left  was  a  border  of 
stately  trees ;  how  gorgeous  they  looked  in  that  glowing 
light !  On  my  right  and  before  me,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  was  spread  out  a  magnificent  landscape,  the  face 
of  the  country  gently  undulating,  and  covered  with  trees 
and  flowers,  and  running  water,  and  smooth  paths,  and  in- 
terspersed with  pleasant  mansions  of  a  beautiful  order  of 
architecture,  and  most  pleasantly  located.  What  a  home 
for  a  man  after  his  weary  pilgrimage  here  ! 

Off  at  my  right  the  land  rose  gently  into  sloping  terraces, 
one  above  another,  and  pure  streams  of  water  were  tum- 
bling down  the  slopes,  adding  their  hoarse  murmur  to  the 
repose  of  the  scene. 

The  trees  were  so  majestic !  One  I  observed  in  particular 
was  immense ;  it  drooped  like  the  willow,  with  a  leaf  like 
the  oak,  and  shaped  like  the  elm ;  its  foliage  was  very 
dense,  and  it  cast  a  shade  large  enough  to  cover  the  whole 
of  one  of  our  parks. 

Under  its  shade,  nestling  snugly  beneath  its  wide-spread- 
ing branches,  was  a  log-hut,  like  those  I  have  seen  among 
the  backwoodsmen  on  our  frontiers.     The  man  who  built  it 


SPIRITUALISM.  99 

had  chosen  that  spot  and  all  its  surroundings,  because  it 
brought  back  to  his  recollection  his  earthly  life.  He  had 
been  fond  of  nature,  and  was  wont  to  select  such  romantic 
spots  in  which  to  reside ;  and  thus  he  continues  to  enjoy 
what  on  earth  was  so  beautiful  to  him.  He  can  here  enjoy 
every  thing  that  is  beautiful.  He  belonged  to  no  church ; 
he  was  of  no  sect,  but  he  looked  from  nature  up  to  I^a- 
ture's  God.  He  could  not  read  the  Bible,  but  he  read  of 
God  in  every  leaf  that  trembled  in  the  breeze.  An  Indian 
lived  with  him  ;  how  they  loved  one  another !  he  was  an 
old  man,  and  the  Indian  was  younger.  * 

As  he  sat  at  the  door  of  his  hut,  he  heard  the  footsteps 
of  his  companion  approaching  ;  he  immediately  asked 
himself  what  he  could  do  to  make  the  Indian  more  happy? 
And  so  the  Indian,  as  he  approached,  was  thinking  what 
he  could  do  to  contribute  to  the  old  man's  comfort.  Thus, 
forgetting  self,  they  thought  only  of  each  other's  happi- 
ness. 

I  saw,  much  to  my  surprise,  they  had  their  dogs  and 
guns  with  them.  The  old  man  was  sitting  on  a  bench, 
made  of  a  slab,  with  four  legs  thrust  rudely  into  holes 
bored  at  each  end.  Scattered  around  the  ground  were  the 
rude  implements  common  in  a  frontier  lodge. 

I  suspected  they  did  not  use  it  to  sleep  in,  and  I  soon 
found  it  was  not  indeed  their  home,  but  had  been  erected 
by  them  as  a  reminiscence  of  their  former  life,  to  recall  to 
mind  their  earthly  hunting-grounds.  They  were  exquisite 
lovers  of  nature.  Behind  their  hut  was  a  large  rock,  high- 
er than  the  building ;  growing  out  of  its  crevices  were 
trees,  and  flowers,  and  creeping  plants  ;  at  its  base  gurgled 
up  a  spring  of  pure  water  running  near  the  end  of  the  hut, 
and  there  forming  a  little  pond.  They  had  excavated  the 
earth  just  behind  one  of  the  large  roots  of  the  tree,  and 
thus  the  pond  was  formed,  the  water  falling  over  the 
root  as  over  a  dam,  adding  its  gentle  sound  to  the  plea- 
sure of  the  scene.  Behind  them,  stretching  far  off  in 
the  distance,  was  an  earthly  scene,  consisting  of  dense 


100  SPIRITUALISM. 

woods  and  mountains,  among  which  was  a  beautiful  lake, 
which 

"  Its  lone  bosom  expanded  to  the  sky." 

It  seemed  to  be  ten  or  twelve  miles  long  and  two  or 
three  wide,  and  meandered  up  among  the  hills.  It  was  an 
earthly  hunting-ground,  and  recalled  to  them  again  the 
life  which  their  love  of  nature  had  made  so  pleasant. 

As  they  sat  at  the  door  of  their  hut,  on  one  side  they 
could  behold  those  hunting-grounds,  and  on  the  other  that 
beautiful  country  with  its  heavenly  light.  Far  as  their 
eyes  could  reach  the  scene  was  so  beautiful ! — presenting 
every  variety  of  form,  and  colored  with  the  tint  of  this 
gorgeous  ruby  light,  so  clear,  so  soft,  so  grateful,  and  re- 
flected from  every  thing  around,  from  every  leaf  and  flow- 
er, as  if  from  ten  thousand  sparkling  mirrors. 

And  thus  they  conjoined  their  life  on  earth  and  life  in 
the  spheres,  and  enjoyed  at  the  same  moment  the  beauties 
of  both. 

And  it  was  because  while  here  they  enjoyed  the  beau- 
ties which  God  had  scattered  around  them,  and  had  learned 
of  them  the  lesson  they  taught  of  Him ;  the  lesson  taught 
as  well  by  nature  as  by  revelation,  to  love  the  Great  Crea- 
tor and  one  another — this  they  did  when  here,  and  hence 
the  happiness  they  now  enjoyed. 


SPIEITWALISM.  101 


tdun  Jfih. 


Thursday  J  September  8,  1853. 
This  evening  the  circle  met  at  Dr.  Dexter' s,  and  it  was  written  through 
him: 

Before  we  proceed  to  the  legitimate  business  of  our 
circle,  and  as  I  shall  not  write  much,  if  any,  for  a  few 
evenings,  I  take  this  opportunity  to  express  my  love,  my 
faith,  and  my  earnest  desire,  that  while  we  approach  the 
subject,  to  you  and  the  world  of  so  much  importance,  we 
should  realize,  that  what  we  now  teach  is  different  from 
that  ever  given  to  man  before — that  the  ideas  given  need 
examination  and  analyzation,  and  it  becomes  your  duty  to 
ask  questions  on  any  part  you  do  not  properly  understand  ; 
for  the  world  will  examine  and  criticise,  and  it  is  left  to 
you  to  get  at  the  gist  of  the  ideas  we  inculcate  for  your 
benefit  and  theirs.     This  you  will  understand. 

After  the  Doctor  has  written  for  a  time,  the  vision  will 
be  continued,  as  there  is  much  to  be  done,  and  we  can  not 
let  one  evening  pass  without  accomplishing  something.  I 
greet  you  all.  Sweedenboeg. 

Then  it  was  written  in  the  other  handwriting  : 

As  I  have  more  command  of  the  English  language,  the 
spirits  delegate  me  to  write  what  they  say.  'Now  assist  us 
by  turning  your  minds  to  the  time  when  there  was  nothing 
created  in  this  system  by  God,  and  imagine  what  that  con- 
dition must  be.  Bacon. 

Get  the  Bible,  and  read  verse  for  verse,  the  first  chapter 
of  Genesis. 

I  read  as  follows : 

"  In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heaven  and  the  earth." 


102  SPIRIT  UALISM. 

I  received  instructions,  when  at  a  signal  to  be  given  through  Dr. 
Dexter's  hand,  I  was  to  resume  or  to  stop  reading. 

Then  the  signal  to  stop  was  given,  and  it  was  written : 

We  will  suppose  that  the  writer  of  that  historical  sketch 
of  the  creation  understood  the  beginning  of  all  things  to 
refer  only  to  the  creation  of  this  system,  denominated  by 
the  learned,  the  solar  system,  belonging  to  your  earth,  or 
in  which  your  earth  is  included.  But  if  our  ideas  of  God 
are  correct,  and  as  he  must  have  been  at  the  time  he  fash- 
ioned this  solar  system  as  omnipotent  as  he  is  now,  it  fol- 
lows, that  there  were  worlds  created  before  even  the  germ 
of  either  3^our  world  or  any  of  the  other  planets  existed ; 
that  if  there  were  worlds  created  before  your  world,  the 
Creator  must  have  had  an  object  in  thus  manifesting  his 
creative  power,  and  that  he  formed  worlds  for  the  beings 
whom  he  also  fashioned  to  live  upon  them.  ITow,  there- 
fore, instead  of  saying,  in  the  beginning,  I  shall  say,  God 
created  this  world,  and  the  whole  system  of  worlds  with 
which  it  is  connected,  when  the  space  in  which  they  now 
move  was  one  vast  chaotic  darkness ;  when  not  one  living 
thing  moved  or  had  its  being  in  the  illimitable  ocean  of 
darkness,  space,  and  almost  eternal  silence  which  were 
spread  out  there,  as  if  God  himself  had  not  recognized  it 
as  a  portion  of  the  vast  territories  he  was  calling  into  life 
and  existence.  But  it  lay  there  dark,  silent,  and  motion- 
less. 'No  life,  no  air  even,  moved  over  this  vast  space. 
Silent,  without  motion,  dark  and  fathomless,  it  was  crea- 
tion without  a  God,  for  the  spirit  of  the  great  Source  had 
not  moved  on  its  surface,  neither  had  it  permitted  one 
spark  of  life  or  light  to  penetrate  its  boundless  domain. 
There  was  no  form,  no  sides,  no  extent,  for  it  filled  the 
whole  immensity  far  beyond  the  telescope's  range,  and 
even  beyond  the  point  to  which  man's  imagination  has 
reached.  It  was  void,  void  of  every  thing  which  could 
generate  life,  void  even  of  the  presence  of  God. 

Here,  at  the  proper  signal,  I  read  :  "  And  the  earth  was  without  form 


SPIRITUALISM.  103 

and  void,  and  darkness  was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep,  and  the  spirit  of 
God  moved  upon  the  face  of  the  waters." 
Then  it  was  written  : 

Dark  as  the  mind  whicli  denies  God,  and  as  impene- 
trable as  the  place  where  the  spirit  of  God  is  most  mani- 
fest, for  years  untold,  for  generations  incalculable,  ages 
and  time  beyond  all  imagination  it  had  laid  spread  out 
from  space  to  space  like  some  huge  monster.  Yes.  Imagine 
that  at  this  time  there  were  worlds  on  worlds  sparkling  in 
the  glory  of  creation,  replete  with  life,  and  reflecting  the 
almighty  power  of  the  Great  First  Cause,  in  which  were 
direct  sentient  spirits,  developing  the  peculiar  faculties  and 
attributes  of  progressive  beings,  with  suns,  and  moons,  and 
stars  shining  in  the  dazzling  brilliancy  of  life  and  light ; 
and  here,  where  now  the  sun  shines  and  dispenses  light 
and  heat  to  so  many  worlds ;  here,  where  the  stars  send 
their  sparkling  rays  to  give  brilliancy  to  their  motion  ; 
here,  where  the  moon  sheds  her  reflected  beams  to  af- 
ford to  you  the  Jight  at  night ;  here,  where  your  earth 
revolves  and  turns  as  one  of  this  vast  existence ;  here, 
where  you  have  worlds  and  suns,  and  stars  and  planets, 
with  their  brilliant  belts  and  many  moons ;  here,  where 
the  hand  of  God  has  marked  the  impress  of  his  power  and 
might,  there  was  no  sound,  no  motion,  no  light,  no  life. 
What  was  there  here?  What  distinguished  this  gloomy 
space  ?  Can  the  mind  conceive  ?  Can  human  imagination 
realize?  No.  There  was  nothing  here,  and  throughout 
this  vast  abyss  there  was  no  point  on  which  the  mind  could 
rest.  1^0  thought  could  fathom  its  confines,  no  imagination 
could  conjure  up  substance,  shape,  or  form.  It  was  dis- 
tinguished by  darkness  so  intense  that  the  human  mind 
fails  to  conceive  of  how  it  can  be  described.  Motionless, 
dark,  and  silent  it  laid,  not  even  a  ripple  on  its  illimitable 
surface,  and  to  its  extremest  depths  'twas  all  alike.  But 
the  spirit  of  God  moved  over  this  silent  lake  of  nothing- 
ness, and  called  from  out  its  dark  abysmal  depths  order, 
life,  and  a  thousand  worlds. 


104  SPIKITTJALISM. 

Mr.  Warren  made  some  remarks  explanatory  of  his  understanding  of 
the  teaching,  and 
It  was  answered : 

Suffice  it  to  say,  that  you  have  been  told  some  time  ago 
that  this  world  was  one  of  the  latest  creations  of  God ;  and 
that  there  were  worlds  created  before  your  earth,  admits 
of  demonstrative  proof,  vrhen  men  shall  have  invented  a 
telescope  of  sufficient  power  to  explore  the  worlds  beyond 
the  attractive  influence  of  your  sun. 

Mr,  W.  asked  about  the  idea  of  some  astronomers,  that  there  was  a 
common  center  around  which  our  solar  system  revolved  ? 
It  was  answered : 

That  center  is  where  the  spirit  of  God  is  most  manifest ; 
and  as  the  land,  on  its  descent  toward  the  ocean,  seems  to 
incline  obeisance  toward  it,  so  the  whole  creation  of  un- 
told worlds  revolve  around  this  central  point  in  dumb,  yet 
intelligent,  obeisance  to  the  Power  which  created  them. 

I  asked,  in  order,  as  I  said,  to  learn  to  discriminate  between  their 
teachings  and  the  workings  of  my  own  mind,  whether  my  ascending  the 
hill  the  first  time,  and  pausing  on  the  way  to  address  the  crowd,  was  a 
reality  or  an  allegorical  representation  merely  ? 

It  was  answered : 

It  was  the  reality. 

What  ?  I  asked — that  I  really  did  address  that  immense  crowd,  and 
detail  to  them  my  spiritual  experience  ? 

"  Yes,"  was  answered. 

Then  followed  the  manifestation  through  me,  which  I  related  and 
Mr.  Warren  recorded  at  the  time,  as  follows : 


VISION. 

I  found  myself  in  the  same  place  where  I  was  on  Sunday 
last.  Then  I  had  turned  off  to  the  right,  to  see  that  hunter 
and  his  Indian  companion.  Now  I  proceeded  directly  for- 
ward in  the  path  which  led  from  the  entrance. 

On  my  left,  between  the'^Dath  where  I  was  walking  and 
the  row  of  trees,  were  beds,  full  of  flowers  in  bloom.     At 


^I 


SPIRITUALISM.  105 

the  end  of  tlie  beds  I  observed  a  very  singular  plant.  It 
grew  four  or  five  feet  high,  and  was  shaped  like  the  wild 
pine-apple,  a  species  of  cactus  which  I  saw  in  Central 
America.  Its  leaves  were  long  and  pointed,  were  green 
and  white,  tinged  on  the  edges  with  scarlet. 

Just  beyond  this  plant,  the  row  of  trees  and  the  flower 
beds  terminated  ;  and  there,  off  at  my  left,  as  far  as  my 
eye  could  reach,  I  saw  a  country  stretching  out  before  me 
which  was  one  immense  garden.  A  mist  seemed  to  rest 
upon  some  parts  of  it,  and  at  the  farther  end  of  the  land- 
scape was  a  vast  mountain,  shaped  like  an  ant-hill,  its 
summits  enveloped  in  clouds,  and  rendered  misty  and  in- 
distinct by  the  distance. 

At  the  spot  where  I  was  standing,  a  balustrade  had  been 
erected  on  the  edge  of  the  precipice.  It  was  heavy,  mas- 
sive, and  beautifully  proportioned.  As  I  leaned  upon  it 
and  looked  abroad,  I  saw  that  that  country  was  far  below 
me,  and  down  there  I  saw  the  temple  which  I  had  several 
times  visited,  and  I  noticed  that  the  precipice  before  me 
was  that  which  I  had  examined  from  the  temple,  and  amid 
whose  caverns  I  had  seen  the  dark  spirits  lurking. 

As  I  stood  there,  I  saw  three  spirits  approaching  me. 

asked  if  I  dare  trust  myself  to  believe  who  they  were  ? 
They  were  evidently  my  wife  and  children.  They  came 
down  from  the  rising  ground  on  my  right  by  one  of  the 
side  paths,  entered  the  main  walk,  and  turned  toward  me. 
I  was  too  much  overcome  with  emotion  for  some  time  to 
be  able  to  see  very  distinctly,  or  describe  clearly  what  was 
before  me.  I  conld  see  my  children  very  plainly  in  their 
spirit-form  and  countenance,  but  my  wife  bore  her  earthly 
countenance.  This  was  that  I  might  identify  her.  With 
my  children  that  was  unnecessary,  because  they  had  died 
in  infancy  and  had  now  grown  to  maturity.  But,  as  it 
wxre,  through  the  earthly  countenance  of  my  wife,  I  saw 
glimpses  of  her  spiritual  visage.  I  tried  hard  to  see  it  in 
full,  that  I  might  afterward  recognize  it,  but  in  vain.  It 
seemed  to  be  changing  and  flitting  before  me. 


106  SPIRITUALISM. 

Through  the  Doctor  it  was  -written 

[That  is  merely  shifting  the  scenes ;  only  keep  your  mind  calm  and 
intent  and  it  will  come.  You  are  to  write  the  totality  of  every  thing 
as  you  go  on.] 

She  told  me  that  since  I  had  first  visited  the  spirit- 
world,  she  had  ascended  from  the  plain  where  I  saw  her 
to  this  higher  one,  to  which  our  children  belonged,  and 
now  she  had  them  with  her  all  the  time,  but  then  only 
occasionally. 

I  noticed  particularly  their  garb.  Their  dresses  were 
all  in  the  same  fashion.  They  wore  under-garments  of 
pure  white  reaching  to  the  ankles,  and  over  them  a  loose 
frock,  open  in  front,  and  fastened  by  a  belt  around  the 
waist.  Their  sleeves  were  loose,  flowing,  and  reached 
only  a  little  below  the  elbows,  leaving  the  hands  and 
w^rists  and  about  half  of  the  forearm  bare.  The  belt 
which  bound  my  wife's  garment  was  purple,  the  collar 
and  cuff's,  and  two  strips  down  in  front,  were  crimson. 
The  children's  garments  were  ornamented  with  pale  straw- 
colored  cuiFs  and  belt.  Around  their  persons,  and  to  the 
distance  of  a  few  inches,  there  floated  a  transparent  atmos- 
phere of  blue,  like  an  outer  garment  of  gauze ;  but  it  was 
constantly  changing  its  hue,  which,  while  it  was  emblem- 
atical of  truth  and  purity,  was  indescribably  grateful.  On 
my  wife's  head  was  a  chaplet  of  green  leaves  sparkling 
wondrously. 

How  beautiful  my  children  looked  !  I  never  saw  so 
clear  and  lovely  a  complexion.  My  daughter's  hair  was 
of  a  pale  yellow,  and  hung  in  large  ringlets  and  loose 
down  to  her  waist.  They  were  both  shy  and  diffident  in 
approaching  me,  my  daughter  in  particular.  They  have 
known  as  yet  so  little  of  me  ! 

"While  I  was  standing  with  them,  I  noticed,  oft'  at  my 
right,  on  the  sloping  bank,  and  only  a  short  distance 
from  me,  a  cottage,  completely  covered  with  some  large 
trees  gi'owing  at  each  end  of  it,  and  having  in  front  a 


SPIRITTTALISM.  107 

beautiful  flower-garden,  extending  quite  down  to  the  main 
path  where  I  was. 

What  a  magnificent  prospect  there  must  be  from  its 
front  portico  !  I  had  a  Avish  to  see  it  nearer,  and  I  was 
instantly  transported  to  the  front  of  the  house,  leaving  my 
wife  and  children  below. 

Directly  in  front  of  the  house  was  a  jet  of  pure  water, 
falling  back  into  a  large  circular  reserv^oir,  which  was 
some  twenty  feet  in  diameter  and  some  ten  or  twelve  feet 
deep,  and  was  filled  with  gold  and  silver  and  blue  fishes, 
and  among  them  were  eels,  colored  like  the  gold-fish. 

Around  the  reservoir  was  a  smooth  path  six  or  eight 
feet  wide,  and  covered  with  small  sea-shells.  Outside  this 
path,  and  extending  around  the  circle,  though  with  four 
openings  in  it,  was  a  border,  its  sides  of  close-shaven,  fine 
velvet-like  grass,  and  its  center,  about  a  foot  wide,  filled 
with  a  singular  plant.  It  was  about  two  feet  high,  shaped 
like  our  Indian  corn,  and  bearing  very  profusely  a  double- 
leaved  flower,  shaped  like  the  tulip,  large  as  the  balsam, 
and  beautifully  variegated  with  pink  and  while.  Outside 
of  this  border  were  four  triangular-shaped  beds,  to  fill  up 
the  square.  They,  also,  were  full  of  flowers  and  shrubbery. 
In  each  corner  of  the  triangular  beds  was  a  small  tree  like 
a  dwarf  cedar  or  arboi^  vitce. 

But  while  I  was  examining  these  new  and  strange  things, 
it  suddenly  occurred  to  me,  that  I  had  deserted  my  com- 
panions for  the  pleasure  of  my  explorations,  and  so  I  im- 
mediately returned  to  them.  My  wife  then  took  me  by 
the  arm  to  lead  me  about  and  show  me  the  country  I  was 
in. 

As  I  walked  along  with  her,  I  observed  that  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  various  residences  in  sight  of  us — and  there 
were  a  good  many — came  out  and  were  gazing  at  us, 
wondering,  jind  very  much  interested ;  for  they  knew  I 
was  a  mortal,  and  no  mortal  had  been  there  before.  They 
looked  upon  my  wife,  who  had  so  recently  become  a  resi- 
dent among  them  as  to  be  only  partially  known  to  them, 


108  SPIEITUALISM. 

as  possessed  of  some  wondrous  power  wliicli  could  thus 
raise  a  "mortal  to  the  skies,"  as  well  as  "  bring  an  angel 
down."  They  asked  each  other  what  it  was,  and  became 
aware  that  it  was  the  strong  love  there  was  between  us, 
which  had,  even  when  I  was  thus  mortal,  borne  me  along 
with  her  to  those  higher  spheres.  They  looked  upon  us 
with  admiration,  for  they  had  never  conceived  that  the 
power  of  love  was  so  strong,  and  they  became  conscious 
that  the  object  of  it  all  was,  that  I  might  return  to  earth 
and  inform  my  fellow-mortals  how  glorious  is  the  condi- 
tion which  they  may  attain,  and  how  they  may  attain  it. 
And  they  immediately  asked  themselves  what  they  could 
do  to  help  the  great  object  in  view  ? 

These  things  I  noticed  as  my  wife  led  me  off  the  main 
path  up  that  by  which  she  had  descended.  I  noticed  also, 
as  I  walked  along,  the  peculiarities  in  the  pathway.  All 
the  paths  seemed  to  me  at  first  covered  with  a  fine,  clean 
gravel,  but,  on  looking  closely,  I  discovered  they  were 
covered  with  very  small,  delicate,  and  infinitely  variegated 
sea-shells.  They  would  have  been  crushed  to  dust  under 
the  heavy  tread  of  mortals,  but  the  light  step  of  subli- 
mated spirits  did  them  no  injury. 

The  path,  as  it  ascended  the  slope,  was  terraced  off  by 
stone  steps,  made  of  a  yellow,  beautifully  variegated  sort 
of  soapstone,  not  as  hard  as  marble,  but  polished  as  highly, 
and  shining  with  innumerable  sparkling  atoms.  I  could 
have  paused  for  hours  merely  in  enjoying  the  beauties  of 
the  path.  Every  thing  around  me  was  beautiful.  Tliere 
was  nothing  to  mar  the  scene.  The  air,  the  light,  the  ob- 
jects around,  all  were  beautiful;  and  then  the  people 
seemed  so  happy — a  sober,  calm  happiness  which  filled 
the  heart  too  full  for  utterance.  Then  so  calm  a  silence 
rested  upon  the  scene,  interrupted  only  by  the  chirping  of 
insects  and  the  song  of  birds,  and  off  from  the  distance 
came  floating  on  the  ear  the  sound  of  vocal  music,  exquis- 
iteh'  soft  and  touching.  And  thus  alone  was  the  peaceful 
silence  broken. 


SPIRITUALISM.  109 

On  each  side  of  the  path  which  I  was  ascending  were 
posts  and  chains  fencing  in  the  grounds.  They  were  for 
ornament  merely.  The  posts  were  no  larger  than  my 
wrists,  and  of  highly-polished  black  marble,  variegated 
with  yellow  and  white  streaks;  they  were  low  and  ex- 
quisitely proportioned,  and  the  chains  hung  in  graceful 
festoons. 

As  we  approached  the  level  of  the  cottage  whose  fount- 
ain I  had  examined,  the  inhabitants  came  out  to  their 
gateway  to  greet  us.  Three  females  and  a  male  thus  came 
out,  and  three  others,  who  Avere  visitors  of  theirs,  remain- 
ed behind.  The  three  females  were  a  mother  and  her  two 
daughters.  The  male  Avas  the  Either.  She  seemed  about 
forty-five  years  of  age,  and  the  two  daughters  eighteen  and 
twenty. 

As  we  were  passing,  the  mother  spoke  to  my  wife, 
"  Love  one  another?  Yes,  that  is  to  do  as  God  commands, 
and  to  enjoy  his  happiness."  She  said  this  calmly,  yet 
her  countenance  showed  the  depth  of  her  emotion.  She 
could  scarcely  speak,  she  was  so  filled  with  love  and  ad- 
miration. She  was  strongly  attracted  to  my  wife,  and  her 
daughters,  who  stood  behind  her,  wanted  to  clap  their 
hands  with  joy.  They  were  a  very  happy  family,  and  it 
was  many,  very  many  years  since  they  had  left  the  earth. 
Their  dresses  were  fashioned  like  the  others,  but  were  or- 
namented with  green,  and  they,  too,  were  surrounded  with 
that  gauze-like  atmosphere  of  blue.  One  of  the  daughters 
wore  pink  sandals  and  no  stockings.  Their  complexicftis 
were  very  soft  and  brilliant,  l^o  child's  more  soft  and 
pure.     Their  hair  hung  gracefully  down  their  backs. 

In  answer  to  a  question  put  by  some  of  the  circle.  I  said  the  mother's 
hair  was  a  dark  brown,  the  daughters'  a  little  lighter.  It  was  parted 
in  the  middle  and  hung  gracefully  down  on  each  side. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  path  was  a  cottage  which  had 
no  shade-trees  around  it.  The  trees  were  not  necessary  to 
keep  off  the  heat,  and  each  one  had  them  or  not  as  taste 
dictated.     It  was  of  a  brown  color,  and  I  remarked  that  I 


110  SPIRITUALISM. 

saw  no  house  with  more  than  one  story  to  it.  They  were 
not  obliged  to  ascend  into  the  air  with  their  residences, 
they  might  extend  out  upon  the  ground  as  far  as  necessary. 

I  paused  at  this  house  to  examine  it. 

Its  inhabitants  came  out  and  conversed  with  my  com- 
panions, while  I  entered  the  inclosure  and  examined  it 
alone  and  at  my  leisure.  This  man  had  a  gate  at  the  en- 
trance to  his  grounds,  not  because  it  was  necessary,  but 
because  he  fancied  it.  And  while  I  was  examining  in- 
side, he  and  my  companions  remained  standing  by  the 
gate. 

The  first  thing  I  noticed  was  the  gable-end  of  his  house, 
which  was  next  the  path.  '  It  had  at  its  ridge  what  looked 
like  a  chimney,  but  was  not — it  was  a  turret  for  ornament 
only.  Immediately  below  it  was  a  circular  hole  to  allow 
the  air  to  circulate  beneath  the  roof,  and  below  that  was  a 
window. 

I  was  asked  if  I  saw  any  glass  in  these  openings  ?  and  replied,  that 
in  the  upper  one  there  certainly  was  not ;  how  it  was  in  the  lower  one 
I  could  not  then  tell,  but  I  would  look  at  another  time  and  say. 

I  saw  vines  running  over  and  covering  this  gable-end.. 
At  one  corner  the  vine  bore  transparent  blue  flowers,  bell- 
shaped,  and  large  as  a  goblet,  which  sparkled  most  beau- 
tifully as  the  light  shone  through  them.  At  the  other 
corner  was  a  running  rose,  bearing  profusely  a  flower, 
pink  color,  streaked  with  scarlet.  The  two  vines  met  to- 
gether, twined  around  the  turret,  and  hung  drooping  down 
mingling  their  flowers. 

Next  the  house,  and  between  it  and  the  path,  was  a 
walk  covered  with  sea-shells,  and  extending  in  a  half 
circle  into  the  space  between  the  house  and  the  path,  thus 
forming  a  bed  which  was  filled  with  singular  flowers.  Its 
border  seemed  first  to  be  of  box,  but  on  closer  examina- 
tion I  found  it  to  consist  of  dwarf  trees  about  six  inches 
high,  and  shaped  like  the  yew  tree.  They  were  so  perfect 
and  uniform  in  shape,  and  so  diminutive,  that  I  almost 
expected  to  see  some  of  Swift's  Lilliputians  walking  in  the 


SPIRITUALISM.  Ill 

shade.  "  At  each  end  of  this  bed  were  very  beautiful  tulips 
of  every  imaginable  color.  One  of  the  plants  sprawled 
out  upon  the  ground ;  the  leaves  were  shaped  like  snakes, 
and  wound  around  like  a  serpent  in  motion.  The  end 
of  the  leaves  raised  up  from  the  ground  like  a  snake's 
head,  and  the  upper  side  of  the  leaf  had  the  appearance 
of  scales.  This  plant  bore  flowers  in  clusters,  on  stalks 
springing  up  from  its  center.  They  were  cup-shaped,  and 
were  white,  sprinkled  with  fine  crimson  spots  ingrained  in 
the  leaf  of  the  flower. 

"While  I  was  thus  examining  these  flowers,  I  perceived 
the  conversation  that  was  going  on  between  my  wife  and 
the  man  who  resided  there.  They  did  not  speak  vocally, 
but  perceived  each  other's  thoughts,  and  so  I  perceived 
their  co^iversation.  My  wife  laughingly  said,  it  had  been 
just  so  here,  that  when  I  got  into  my  garden,  there  was 
no  getting  me  out  of  it,  and  she  hardly  expected  I  would 
reach  her  house  this  time.  I,  however,  went  on  with  my 
examination,  for  I  felt  that  that  was  what  I  was  there  for, 
and  not  to  indulge  my  personal  feelings. 

I  saw  another  singular  plant  in  that  bed.  It  also  clung 
close  to  the  ground.  Its  leaves  were  long  and  pointed, 
their  backs  resting  on  the  ground  and  their  sides  turning 
up.  They  were  very  numerous,  and  were  piled  on  each 
other,  and  were  of  the  deepest  crimson  color.  The  plant 
bore  a  small,  pale-blue  flower.  It  sparkled  all  over  like 
the  morning  dew,  and  loved  the  shade,  for  it  nestled  under 
some  of  the  larger  shrubbery. 

After  examining  each  plant  thus  minutely,  I  stepped 
toward  the  house  to  have  a  view  of  the  tout  ensemble^  and 
it  was,  indeed,  very  beautiful.  While  standing  there,  I 
discovered,  just  back  of  the  house,  a  rude  rock  eight  or 
ten  feet  high,  of  a  slaty  formation.  I  could  not  at  first 
see  it  very  distinctly,  but  the  man  in  whose  inclosure  it 
was,  observing  that  I  was  looking  at  it,  threw  his  own 
light  upon  it,  and  I  instantly  saw  all  its  beauties.  Be- 
tween the  layers  of  stone  were  thin  veins  of  gold   and 


112  SPIRITUALISM. 

silver,  and  the  face  of  the  rock  was  interspersed  with  dia- 
monds, rubies,  and  sapphires. 

The  whole  sparkled  most  brilliantly  in  that  pure  light. 
The  precious  metals  and  stones  were  of  no  use  in  that 
country  but  to  adorn  nature,  and  so  the  face  of  the  rock 
had  not  been  injured  by  attempts  to  extract  them. 

At  the  base  of  the  rock  a  pure  spring  of  water  gushed 
up,  in  which  were  swimming  innumerable  transparent  lit- 
tle fish.  The  whole — spring,  water,  and  animals — seemed 
very  joyous,  and  as  if  alive  and  full  of  happiness. 

The  summit  of  the  rock  was  covered  with  green  moss 
and  creeping  vines,  which  hung  down  over  its  face,  and 
gave  me  views  of  its  beauty  amid  the  leaves. 

On  each  side^  of  the  spring  was  a  long,  rustic  seat,  and 
the  whole  scene  was  so  full  of  calm,  quiet  happiness  that 
I  threw  myself  into  one  of  the  seats,  desiring  to  be  alone, 
that  I  might  be  able,  without  interruption,  to  drink  it  all 
in  and  enjoy  it.  I  observed  that  my  wife,  who  knew  my 
propensities  in  this  respect,  was  intently  regarding  me, 
and  hushing  the  conversation  around  her  so  that  I  might 
not  be  disturbed. 

While  sitting  there,  I  observed  the  rear  of  the  house ; 
that  over  the  door  and  windows  hung  ornamental  sheds 
of  wood-work,  constructed  so  gracefully  that  they  seemed 
to  hang  down  like  drapery  ;  and  all  around  the  house  run- 
ning vines  and  shrubbery  were  profusely  growing. 

Upon  the  high  ground,  behind  the  house,  w^as  a  rustic 
summer-house,  from  whence  might  be  seen  the  whole 
country  below,  and  whence  I  saw  the  people  in  various 
directions  watching  to  see  what  efi'ect  the  scene  produced 
on  me. 

But  I  saw  no  children  there,  and  I  remarked  how  much 
little  children  would  add  to  the  beauty  of  the  scene. 

It  was  here  added,  through  Dr.  Dexter : 

[When  their  affinities  are  so  strong  that  they  become  a  desire,  little 
children  respond  and  visit  them.] 


SPIRITUALISM.  113 

I  again  returned  to  that  rustic  seat  by  the  spring,  and 
on  the  opposite  seat  I  perceived  Lord  Bacon  was  sitting. 
I  did  not  get  a  view  of  his  countenance  to  describe  it,  but 
I  perceived  an  atmosphere  of  blue  playing  between  us, 
and  throwing  out  innumerable  blue  meteors,  as  it  were, 
indicative  of  the  truth  there  was  in  the  communion  be- 
tween us. 


At  this  moment  it  was  written  through  Dr.  Dexter,  "  Judge,  pie 
stop,  for  Mrs.  D.  is  too  much  fatigued  to  remain  longer.     You  will  ex- 
cuse me,  as  she  is  in  my  charge." 

I  then  turned  to  pass  down  the  walk  and  out  of  these 
grounds.  By  this  time  I  had  become  familiar  enough  with 
the  place,  to  be  less  shy  than  I  had  been  of  showing  my 
true  feelings.  So,  as  I  passed  along  I  threw  my  left  arm 
around  my  wife's  waist,  and  her  arm  rested  on  my  left 
shoulder.  My  son  and  daughter  were  on  the  other  side 
of  me  ;  she  thrust  her  hand  in  mine,  and  thus  we  passed 
along  until  we  reached  the  parapet,  when  I  left  them,  and 
plunged  suddenly  down  to  earth  again. 

But  before  I  close,  I  remark  that  the  light  of  that  scene 
around  me  had  changed  from  a  lake  color  to  a  pale  straw 
color,  and  was  very  soft  and  pleasant. 

8 


114:  SPIRITUALISM. 


Section  S>h. 


Friday,  Sept.  9,  1853. 

The  whole  circle  met  this  evening  in  my  library. 
*  The  first  thing  that  occurred  was,  that  it  was  written : 

The  Doctor  remarked  last  night,  after  the  Judge  left, 
that  he  had  been  impressed  with  the  idea  (whether  by 
spirits,  or  not,  he  could  not  say,  and  if  it  were  by  them, 
they  would  tell  us  to-night),  that  the  materiality  of  spirits 
was  confirmed  by  the  whole  teachings  of  the  Bible  from 
beginning  to  end.  It  is  true  that  this  idea  was  impressed 
on  his  mind,  for  the  reason  that  we  wished  to  note  this 
idea  for  reference  at  the  circle  at  the  library.* 

*  During  the  revision  of  the  MSS.  for  the  press,  I  was  directed  to  insert 
the  following  extract  as  a  note  to  this  passage. 

*'  Scarcely  any  truth  seems  more  clearly  taught  in  the  Bible  than  the  future 
resurrection  of  the  body;  yet  this  doctrine  has  always  been  met  by  a  most 
.'formidable  objection.  It  is  said  that  the  body,  laid  in  the  grave,  is,  ere  long, 
decomposed  ijato  its  elements,  which  are  scattered  over  the  face  of  the  earth, 
:  and  enter  into  new  combinations,  even  forming  a  part  of  other  human  bodies. 
Hence  not  even  Omnipotence  can  raise  from  the  grave  the  identical  body  laid 
there,  because  the  particles  may  enter  successively  into  a  multitude  of  other 
human  bodies.  I  am  not  aware  that  any  successful  reply  has  ever  been  given 
to  this  objection,  until  chemistry  and  natural  history  taught  us  the  true  na- 
ture of  bodily  identity,  and  until  recently  the  objector  has  felt  sure  that  he 
had  triumphed  ;  but  these  sciences  teach  us  that  the  identity  of  the  body  con- 
sists, not  in  a  sameness  of  particles,  but  in  the  same  kinds  of  elementary  mat- 
ter, combined  in  the  same  proportion,  and  having  the  same  form  and  struc- 
ture. Hence  it  is  not  necessary  that  the  resurrection-body  should  contain  a 
.  single  particle  of  the  matter  laid  in  the  grave,  in  order  to  be  the  same  body 
—which  it  will  be  if  it  consist  of  the  same  kinds  of  matter  combined  in  the 
same  proportion,  and  has  the  same  form  and  structure ;  for  the  particles  of 
our  bodies  are  often  totally  changed  during  our  lives,  yet  no  one  imagines 
that  the  old  man  has  not  the  same  body  as  in  infancy.     What  but  the 


SPIRITUALISM.  115 

But  only  on  one  point  will  we  make  any  remarks,  and 
in  tracing  the  confirmation  of  spirit-teaching  through  the 
Old  and  Kew  Testaments,  we  are  particularly  struck  with 
the  material  nature  of  heaven,  and  in  all  the  instrumental- 
ities belonging  both  to  God  and  his  spirits,  those  who  with 
golden  harps  surround  the  eternal  throne,  and  those  whom 
he  sent  on  missions  of  love,  merc}^,  or  justice  to  earth;  and 
when  at  last  we  arrive  at  the  consummation  of  the  Christ's 
life  on  earth,  we  are  told  that  to  satisfy  one  who  was  a 
doubter,  the  Christ  bade  him  thrust  his  hand  into  the  ma- 
terial wounds,  made  in  his  material  body ;  and  this,  when 
he  did  so,  satisfied  him,  and  he  doubted  no  more.  !N"ow 
the  body  and  spirit  of  Christ  had  risen,  and-  Christ,  accord- 
ing to  the  apostle,  had  ascended  to  heaven.  I  have  only 
to  say,  if  spirits  were  any  thing  but  material  combination, 
how  could  the  body  of  Christ,  material  as  it  was,  exist 
where  no  material  thing  could  have  being  or  life,  accord- 
ing to  the  accepted  idea  of  the  orthodox  ?  Thus  we  find 
that  even  the  history  of  that  pure  being  on  whom  the  eter- 
nal hopes  of  half  the  world  are  centered,  supports  our 
teaching  by  his  own,  and  substantiates  by  his  acts  after 
death  the  doctrine  we  avow,  that  God  does  not  manifest 
himself  but  through  his  works  and  matter. 

Bacon. 

It  will,  we  think,  be  well  for  Mrs.  S.  to  be  influenced 

principles  of  science  could  have  thus  vindicated  a  precious  doctrine  of  rev- 
elation ? 

"  In  the  description  which  Paul  gives  of  the  spiritual  body,  a  naturalist — 
and  I  fancy  no  one  but  a  naturalist — will  discover  its  specific  identity.  By 
this  I  mean  that  it  will  possess  peculiarities  that  distinguish  it  from  every 
thing  else,  but  which  are  so  closely  related  to  the  characteristics  of  the  nat- 
ural body  in  this  world,  from  which  it  was  derived,  that  one  acquainted  with 
the  latter  would  recognize  the  former.  Hence  the  Christian's  friends  in 
another  world  may  be  recognized  by  him  from  their  external  character,  just 
as  we  identify  the  plants  and  animals  of  spring  with  those  that  seemed  to 
perish  in  the  preceding  autumn."—"  The  Religion  of  Geology,"  by  Edward 
Hitchcock,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  President  of  Amherst  College^  and  Professor  of 
JVatural  Theology  and  Geology. 


116  8PIEITUALISM. 

first  for  a  short  time ;  then  yourself,  Judge,  for  a  short 
time  also  ;  then  Mr.  W.,  and  then  the  Doctor  in  continua- 
tion, if  time  permit. 

Then  for  a  short  time  I  was  impressed,  and  saw  the  following 


VISION. 

I  found  myself  at  the  same  spot  I  left  last  evening,  seat- 
ed on  that  rustic  chair,  with  Lord  Bacon  sitting  opposite 
to  me,  enveloped  in  a  grateful  blue  atmosphere. 

On  the  side-hill,  behind  the  house,  I  saw  a  large  and 
beautifully-shaped  vase,  six  or  eight  feet  diameter,  and 
made  of  brown  stone. 

It  was  standing  directly  under  a  projecting  rock,  from 
which  a  small  stream  of  water  poured  into  the  vase  and 
dropped  over  its  sides. 

I  saw  two  children,  about  six  years  old,  at  the  vase  ;  they 
stood  on  one  of  the  projections  of  its  base,  and  were  play- 
ing with  the  water,  spatting  it  with  their  hands,  and  sprink- 
ling it  into  each  other's  faces  with  great  glee.  They  had 
on  no  clothing  but  a  scarf  over  the  shoulder  and  around  the 
waist,  and  every  once  in  a  while  they  would  look  to  see  if 
I  observed  them. 

Off  in  the  distance,  beyond  the  house,  and  standing  on 
the  brow  of  the  precipice,  I  saw  a  monument,  bright  and 
sparkling.  The  base  of  it  was  a  large  square  block  of 
granite ;  on  that  was  a  smaller  square  block,  of  the  same 
color  with  the  shaft,  and  from  that  towered  high  into  the 
air  an  obelisk.  Out  of  its  apex  issued  a  crimson  flame, 
burning  gently,  and  not  very  bright,  but  wavering  and 
flickering  in  the  breeze.  It  was  meant  for  a  beacon  to  the 
co|intry  below,  to  show  them  the  existence  of  a  higher 
sphere.  The  sides  of  the  monument  did  not  seem  to  be  en- 
tirely finishe'd,  yet  they  reflected  a  sparkling  light  in  all 
directions.     Where  did  that  light  come  from  ?     'Now  I 


8PIBITXTALI8M.  117 

see ;  it  is  the  fire  which  is  burning  within  which  creates 
that  light,  and  it  casts  a  golden  color  on  the  surrounding 
scenery. 

While  I  was  looking  at  that,  and  wanting  to  approach 
those  children  and  to  go  into  the  summer-house.  Bacon 
laughingly  said  to  me,  "You  have  so  many  things  to  see, 
you  know  not  where  to  turn  first."  That  was  so  ;  and  the 
spirit,  in  whose  grounds  I  was,  left  my  wife,  with  whom 
he  had  been  conversing,  and  approached  me,  saying,  "  Go 
with  me,  and  I  will  show  you  something."  I  arose  and 
followed  him  to  the  front  of  his  house,  and  so  down  through 
his  garden. 

As  I  passed  through  this  garden  I  observed  a  singular 
bed,  of  a  circular  form,  which  I  paused  a  moment  to  exam- 
ine. The  edge  of  the  bed  was  formed  of  a  plant  whose 
leaves  all  turned  from  the  inside  of  the  bed  outward. 
They  were  of  dark  green,  and  lay  one  upon  another,  six  or 
eight  inches  high.  The  border  was  about  a  foot  wide,  and 
was  very  unique  and  handsome.  In  the  center  of  the  bed 
grew  a  plant  four  or  five  feet  high,  with  only  trunk  and 
limbs ;  it  had  no  leaves ;  it  was  ice,  and  its  buds  were 
flakes  of  snow,  and  the  whole  thing  sparkled  intensely  in 
the  light. 

I  however  went  on  with  my  host  until  we  stood  on  the 
edge  of  the  precipice,  and  there  he  showed  me  he  had 
been  at  work,  cutting  out  of  the  solid  rock  a  stairway  lead- 
ing down  to  the  country  below.  At  one  place  he  had  tun- 
neled a  projecting  rock,  and  it  seemed  that  his  task  was 
almost  done,  though  he  had  been  many  years  engaged  in 
it.  From  his  residence  he  had  discovered  that  many  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  country  below  were  unconscious  that 
there  was  a  higher  country  to  which  they  might  attain ; 
and  even  they  who  did  discover  it  found  the  way  difficult, 
either  up  the  precipice,  and  across  the  gulf  where  those 
dark  spirits  lurked,  or  through  the  temple  and  along  the 
narrow  and  circuitous  path  which  I  had  traveled  ;  and  he 
had  aimed,  by  his  own  unaided  efforts,  to  remove  the  diffi- 


118  SPIRITUALISM. 

culties.  It  was  to  him  a  labor  of  love,  and  in  its  perform- 
ance he  had  found  happiness. 

His  intention  was,  as  soon  as  his  stairway  was  finished, 
to  give  free  vent  to  the  fire  within  his  monument. 

Its  flames  would  then  shoot  high  into  the  heavens,  and 
its  sides  reflect  that  dazzling,  golden  light  which  would 
show  to  the  country  below  far,  far  in  the  distance,  not  only 
that  there  was  a  higher  and  brighter  country  for  them,  but 
where  the  pathway  was  by  which  they  could  most  easily 
ascend. 

He  called  my  attention  to  the  fact,  that  in  that  lower 
country  there  were  many  hills  and  projections  from  the 
surface  ;  some  of  them  steep  and  high,  shaped  like  a  sugar- 
loaf ;  some  flatter  and  broader,  shaped  like  an  ant-hill ; 
and  some  of  them  rough  and  jagged,  like  beetling  rocks. 
He  told  me  that  they,  as  well  as  that  immense  mountain 
which  I  saw  in  the  far  distance,  were  all  inhabited  by  per- 
sons whose  aspirations  had  led  them  to  select  their  resi- 
dences there,  and  who  ^eve  generally  satisfied  with  their 
condition,  because  unaware  that  it  could  be  bettered. 

They  thought,  indeed,  that  they  had  ascended  as  high  as 
they  could,  and  their  happiness  consisted  mainly  in  con- 
trasting their  condition  with  that  of  those  below  them,  and 
congratulating  themselves  that  they  were  better  off  than 
them. 

He  had  had  them  in  view  in  his  labors,  and  he  hoped, 
when  his  beacon  should  be  fired,  that  their  curiosity  would 
be  excited,  and  thence  would  be  awakened  within  them  an 
aspiration  to  enter  at  length  upon  the  ascent,  to  which  there 
was  no  end  but  the  bosom  of  the  Most  High. 

As  I  stood  by  his  side,  I  noticed  some  of  the  inhabitants 
below  were  toiling  up  the  steep  path  that  led  to  an  emi- 
nence. 

I  observed  that  they  were  some  of  those  who  had  started 
on  their  journey  after  my  address  to  them  from  the  side 
hill.  One  in  particular  attracted  my  attention;  he  was 
an  old  man,  with  long,  white  hair  and  beard ;  he  had  a 


SPIRITUALISM.  110 

staff  in  his  band,  and  though  he  had  the  appearance  of 
age,  his  step  was  alert  and  active,  his  eye  quick  and 
bright,  and  he  looked  ever  upward.  It  was  thus  he  dis- 
covered me,  as  I  was  standing  on  the  edge  of  the  precipice, 
high  above  him.  He  recognized  me,  and,  pausing  a  mo- 
ment, inquired  of  me  whether  he  was  in  the  right  road  ? 
I  nodded  an  assent,  and  pointed  to  the  path  a  little  turning 
to  his  right,  which  unhappily  was  not  trodden  enough  to 
be  very  plain  to  a  stranger.  With  a  cheering  smile  he 
turned  and  breasted  the  ascent.  I  watched  his  progress. 
Not  far  above  him  I  saw  a  bright  and  youthful  spirit  sit- 
ting by  the  wayside,  evidently  waiting  for  him.  The  old 
man  saw  him  too,  and  recognized  him  as  one  he  had  known 
and  loved  on  earth  ;  so  he  pressed  forward  with  still  more 
alacrity,  and  soon  came  up  with  him.  They  embraced; 
and  the  young  spirit,  fondly  throwing  his  arm  around  the 
old  man's  waist,  lifted  him  from  the  path,  and  bore  him 
gently  upward,  until  they  entered  within  the  porch  of  the 
temple,  and  were  lost  to  my  view. 

At  this  moment  my  companion  reminded  me  that  it 
was  time  for  me  to  return  to  Earth  again,  and  I  did  so  at 
once 


120  SPIRITUALISM. 


Btttun  Bthtn. 

Saturday,  Sept.  10,  1853. 
This  evening,  at  my  library,  all  the  circle  being  present,  it  was  first 
written  through  the  Doctor : 

It  will  not  be  necessary  that  you  remain  entirely  silent, 
though  your  conversation  should  not  interrupt  the  commu- 
nications. Therefore  sit  at  ease,  and  occasionally  talk, 
always  recollecting  that  animated  talk  will  retard  full  and 
free  manifestations.  There  are  many  spirits  here,  and  they 
are  all  anxious  to  say  something,  but  I  shall  occupy  all  the 
time  proper,  and  then  give  way  to  the  rest. 

Now,  in  the  name  of  Our  Father,  we  bless  you.  In  the 
spirit  of  love  we  meet  you,  and  we  earnestly  hope  that  our 
teachings  will  profit  you,  the  world,  and  ourselves,  and 
assist  us  to  consummate  the  great  end  of  our  existence, 
Progression.  Bacon. 

Before  we  proceed  to  the  subject  of  our  proper  teaching, 
it  may  be  well  to  say  that  it  is  important  that  you  should 
understand  the  character  and  attributes  of  God,  that  in  the 
manifestations  of  his  power,  whether  in  his  material  or 
spiritual  works,  your  minds  may  be  disabused  of  the  idea 
that  there  is  any  specialit}'^  in  whatever  emanates  from  him, 
or  that  he  works  by  miracle. 

When  the  thought  is  thrown  back  on  the  ages  which 
have  passed  since  this  world  was  created,  and  calls  up  in 
review  God's  connection  with  the  whole  of  the  natural 
creation,  we  are,  in  spite  of  our  opinions  deriyed  from  our 
education,  struck  with  the  fact  that  every  act  of  God  in 
reference  to  the  works  of  his  hands  has  been  predicated 


8PIRITTTALISM.  12l 

on  certain  immutable  and  unchangeable  laws.  Look  at  the 
earth.  Not  even  the  minutest  thing  exists  or  has  its  being, 
decays  or  dies,  develops  life  or  its  kind,  or  in  its  con- 
nection with  life  and  matter  around  it,  but  is  subject  to 
laws  which  have  their  proper  influence  on  the  same  things 
situated  either  at  the  poles  or  the  equator.  Certain  princi- 
ples, equal  and  exact  in  their  operation,  govern  every  con- 
stituent entering  into  the  formation  of  matter  in  every  part 
of  creation.  And  where  by  the  combination  of  several 
constituents  a  new  result  is  obtained,  this  also  comes  under 
the  regulation  of  laws  which  remain  precisely  the  same  in 
their  operation  on  the  same  substance,  wherever  it  may  be 
found.  This  probably  will  be  admitted  to  be  true  by 
almost  every  person  as  applying  to  inert  matter.  But  when 
we  advance  a  step  in  creation,  we  find  God's  manifesta- 
tions the  same.  The  vegetable  world  is  governed  by  laws 
which  do  not  vary  in  their  application  or  effect  in  any 
climate,  in  any  soil,  whether  at  that  altitude  where  vege- 
tation stops,  or  in  the  deepest  valley  where  vegetation 
grows.  But  let  us  progress  one  step  further,  and  select 
the  lowest  form  of  animal  life  known  to  man.  Is  there 
here  any  miraculous  creation  ?  Is  life,  or  growth,  or  de- 
cay, or  death  dependent  on  any  special  providence  of  God? 
or  does  this  class  of  animals  come  under  the  influence  of 
certain  laws,  which  exert  the  same  characteristic  power  in 
all  that  concerns  their  life  or  death  wherever  they  may  be 
or  are  found  ? 

What  is  a  miracle  ?  What  use  has  God  with  a  miracu- 
lous dispensation  ?  To  me,  it  seems  detracting  from  the 
omnipotence  of  the  Almighty,  that  he  should  find  it  neces- 
sary to  change  the  order  of  his  instituted  laws  by  any  out- 
of-the-way  exhibition  of  his  power.  Admitting  the  great 
Source  of  all  things  to  be  a  principle,  and  acknowledging 
liis  omnipotence  and  omnipresence,  your  minds  can  com- 
prehend that  there  can  be  no  special  manifestation  of  his 
wisdom,  his  love,  his  power,  or  his  glory.  For  were  it  ad- 
mitted that  God  was  a  personage,  it  would  not  appear  in- 


122  SPIEITUALISM. 

compatible  that  he  should  have  his  preferences,  or  that  he 
should  show  more  of  his  love  to  one  being  than  another, 
that  he  should  possess  all  those  feelings  ascribed  to  him  by 
certain  writers  called  divine  or  inspired,  who  describe  God 
as  a  being  or  spirit  possessing  most,  if  not  all,  the  passions 
and  feelings  of  man.  Thus,  when  one  of  the  creatures 
whom  he  has  creatpd  should  act  in  violation  of  his  com- 
mands, we  should  not  be  surprised  if  he  were  to  inflict 
condign  punishment ;  or  if  another  creature  had  acted 
nobly,  and  fulfilled  his  commandments,  we  should  expect 
that  the  Great  Spirit  would  reward  him  accordingly. 

But  let  us  follow  this  subject  still  further.  Leaving  the 
lowest  order  of  animals,  we  approach  the  class  which  the 
learned  call  Mammalia,  and  to  this  class,  under  the  same 
arrangement,  belongs  man.  I^Tow  we  find  that  the  anin^ials 
belonging  to  this  order,  genera,  class,  or  species  are  always 
confined  to  the  same  kinds  of  food,  when  the  animal  is 
domesticated,  prepared  by  man,  and  when  in  the  wild 
state,  always  feeding  on  food  of  the  same  nature,  and  the 
effect  of  which  is  exactly  the  same.  Not  only  in  this  par- 
ticular of  their  organization  do  the  laws  instituted  for  their 
government  apply,  but  we  find  that  the  same  process  of' 
gestation  obtains,  and  they  nurse  their  young  under  all  cir- 
cumstances alike.  I  refer  you  to  the  simplest  circum- 
stances in  their  history,  that  you  may  the  more  readily 
follow  me  and  understand  my  argument.  But  one  step 
still  onward.  It  has  been  said  that  certain  animals  were 
created  for  the  assistance  and  use  of  man,  and  that  he  can 
tame  them  to  his  hand,  so  that  they  will  perform  the  great- 
est and  most  severe  labor  at  his  command.  In  noticing 
this  peculiarity,  we  are  impressed  with  the  appaa-ent  fact, 
that  in  the  domestication  of  animals,  the  spirit  of  man  acts 
through  the  material  surroundings  on  earth,  and  makes 
itself  felt  outside  its  own  organization. 

And  yet  still  forward :  We  find  there  are  only  certain 
species  of  animals  that  can  be  tamed,  and  that  others 
refuse  to  obey  the  commands  of  man,  and  can  not  be  com- 


SPIRITITALIBM.  128 

pelled  to  work.  The  most  ferocious  beasts  can,  to  be  sure, 
be  confined  in  a  cage,  and  by  blows  and  the  most  violent 
treatment  be  made  to  fear  man.  But  even  then,  when  re- 
moved from  the  influence  tliey  fear,  they  will  manifest 
their  ferocious  and  sanguinary  natures.  This  is  ever  and 
always  the  same. 

Nature  in  all  her  workings  acts  under  the  control  of 
law,  and  she  is  a  law-obeying  subject.  For  thousands  of 
years  the  seasons  have  passed  and  repassed  in  their  order, 
yielding  to  man  fruits  and  flowers,  and  the  sources  of  all 
his  sustenance,  and  much  of  his  happiness.  She  has  never 
rebelled.  Penetrate  the  earth's  depths,  and  the  law  holds 
its  power  intact.  Scale  the  battlements  of  heaven,  and 
there  the  law  is  paramount.  On  earth  among  men  the 
law  is  still  obeyed,  perverted  though  it  may  be  by  their 
own  desires  and  passions ;  but  still  any  infraction  is  follow- 
ed by  a  consequent  punishment,  not  direct  from  God,  but 
the  penalty  attached  to  its  violation  when  that  law  was 
instituted.  Is  it  not  so  in  every  department  of  nature 
over  which  man  has  no  control?  And  when  you  leave 
the  earth,  and  seek  for  confirmation  in  the  skies,  do  3^ou 
see  any  change  ?  Do  the  planets  wander  in  eccentric 
orbits  ?  Do  the  stars  fail  to  shed  their  light  ?  Or  has  the 
moon  vailed  its  face  other  than  in  obeisance  of  law  ?  Has 
the  sun  ceased  to  shine,  and  has  light  and  heat  departed  ? 

You  ask,  if  this  be  so,  what  follows  ?  I  reply,  that  God, 
acting  by  laws  which  he  has  instituted,  has  invariably  ex- 
hibited their  efiects  through  matter,  and  tliat  the  mind  can 
not  appreciate  the  consistency  of  creating  one  condition  of 
life  in  connection  with  matter,  and  separating  that  connec- 
tion when  the  spirit  leaves  the  earth.  And  as  every  mani- 
festation of  the  Creator,  whether  on  this  earth  or  in  the 
thousand  worlds  he  has  fashioned,  has  been  and  is  through 
materiality,  we  can  not  understand  why  his  laws,  so  har- 
moniously working  throughout  the  whole  of  his  creation, 
will  not  still  continue  when  the  spirit  shall  have  left  this 
earth. 


124:  S  P  r  K  I  T  U  A  L  I  S  M . 

Here  I  will  stop,  and  continue  the  subject  in  connection 
with  the  progress  of  creation  to-morrow  night. 

Then  through  me  this  vision  was  related  : 


VISION. 

I  was  again  standing  on  the  edge  of  the  precipice  by  the 
side  of  him  who  had  shown  me  that  stairway.  He  called 
my  attention  to  the  fact  that  many  of  the  hills  and  prom- 
inences I  had  spoken  of  were  dim  and  misty,  not  seen 
plainly  even  by  us,  and  it  was  still  more  difficult  for  their 
inhabitants  to  see  at  a  distance.  He  at  the  same  time 
called  my  attention  to  several  points  in  the  valley.  It 
looked  like  an  earthly  scene  when  the  sky  is  partly  over- 
cast with  clouds,  and  the  sun  shines  partially  through 
them,  lighting  up  different  places,  while  others  are  in  the 
shade.  So  here,  though  there  was  no  sun  to  shed  its  light, 
yet  various  places  in  the  country  below  were  lighted  up, 
some  near  and  some  far  distant,  by  that  large  mountain. 
In  some  places  it  was  a  light  bronze  color,  some  places 
blue,  then  a  claret  color,  and  in  some  green. 

I  here  inquired  what  the  green  color  denoted,  and  it  was  answered 
through  the  Doctor : 

"  Developed  affinities." 

The  light  at  different  places  was  of  different  degrees  of 
brilliancy.  All  denoted  that  the  inhabitants  of  those 
places  had  begun  to  progress,  and  had  aspirations  for 
something  higher  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  :  in  some 
places  induced  by  affection  ;  some  by  the  love  of  truth ; 
some  by  desire  to  progress ;  and  some  by  developed  affin- 
ities. 

I  observed  that  while  these  places  were  thus  lighted  up, 
on  others  a  cold,  misty  cloud  seemed  to  rest,  obscuring 
them  partially  from  view.  The  contrast  was  very  great ; 
and  all  this  light  was  produced  by  the  inhabitants  them- 
selves.    It  was  of  their  own  creation. 


SPIRITUALISM.  125 

This  varied  light  added  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the 
scene,  and  besides,  it  enabled  those  who  should  stand  where 
I  did  to  see  the  advance  of  progression  among  the  inhab- 
itants below. 

On  that  far  distant  mountain  I  saw  a  streak  of  golden 
light  flowing  down  one  of  its  sides,  like  burning  lava. 
That  told  the  story,  that  some  of  its  inhabitants,  impelled 
by  afiection,  had  begun  to  aspire  higher,  and  were  de- 
scending, in  order  to  get  into  the  way,  and  their  path  was 
thus  marked. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  mountain  it  seemed  to  spread  out, 
and  denoted  that  the  inhabitants  who  had  come  down  were 
waiting  for  others,  and  seeking  to  learn  which  way  to  go. 
They  did  not  know,  and  I  noticed  a  majestic  spirit  clothed 
all  in  white,  but  invisible  to  them,  was  floating  in  the  air 
over  their  heads,  and  pointing  toward  where  I  stood.  He 
was  trying  to  impress  them.  His  hair  was  golden,  and  he 
wore  a  scarf  of  blue. 

I  noticed  among  them  a  young  man  sixteen  or  seventeen 
years  of  age,  who  had  just  come  down  the  mountain.  He 
was  modest  and  unassuming,  but  his  vision  was  more  open 
than  theirs.  He  told  them  he  saw  the  way,  that  he  saw 
the  monument  on  the  hill  and  the  temple  below,  and  he 
pointed  out  the  way  to  them.  He  told  them  this  with  such 
an  air  of  truth  that  it  convinced  them,  and  they  chose  him 
for  their  leader.  But  he  said  first  of  all  he  must  take  care 
of  his  mother,  who  had  come  down  the  mountain  with  him. 
She  was  aged  and  infirm,  and  so  they  made  a  bier  for  her, 
and  took  turns  in  bearing  her  along  on  their  shoulders.  He 
walked  by  her  side,  and  was  indeed  a  fit  leader  for  them, 
for  he  thought  never  of  himself,  but  always  of  his  mother, 
whom  he  loved,  and  of  others. 

He  led  them  away  from  the  hills  and  eminences  in  their 
path,  but  through  the  valleys  where  those  lights  shone, 
where  he  and  his  party  were  ever  welcomed  and  enter- 
tained, and  where  his  band  was  constantly  augmented  by 
others  joining  them.    They  soon  traveled  more  rapidly.    His 


126  SPIEITUALISM. 

mdther  gathered  strength  enough  as  she  progressed  to  re- 
lieve her  bearers  and  go  alone. 

I  turned  from  this  sight  to  join  my  companions,  and  I 
observed  three  persons  on  horseback  approaching,  two 
females  and  a  male.  All  seemed  young,  and  were  su- 
perbly mounted.  The  horses  were  beautifully  formed,  like 
coursers  of  the  purest  Arabian  blood.  One  was  white,  one 
a  chestnut,  and  the  o'l:her  a  light  bay.  The  females  wore 
long,  graceful  riding-dresses  of  purple  velvet ;  the  male 
a  short  jacket  and  cap  of  crimson  velvet,  trimmed  with 
gold  cord.  They  had  two  dogs  with  them ;  one  was  a 
shaggy  poodle  dog,  and  the  other  a  small,  delicate  gray- 
hound,  black,  with  a  few  white  spots,  and  fawn-colored 
breast  and  legs.  The  whole  appearance  of  the  cavalcade 
was  very  beautiful.  They  lived  far  in  the  interior,  and 
hearing  of  my  visit,  had  come  down  to  see.  They  were 
conversing  with  my  dear  S.  as  I  approached  the  gate. 
One  of  the  females,  after  looking  at  me  as  I  was  advanc- 
ing, asked  her  if  she  did  not  wish  I  was  there  for  good 
and  all  ?  She  replied:  "No.  His  time  is  not  yet.  He  is 
yet  to  do  much  good  to  man  before  he  comes." 

On  my  arrival  at  the  gate  they  reined  their  horses  back, 
and  accompanied  us  on  my>  passage  out  of  that  country. 
This  time  I  felt  impelled  to  return  by  the  circuitous  path 
by  which  I  had  first  ascended.  They  all  accompanied  me 
to  the  steps,  and,  taking  leave,  I  began  my  descent.  I 
had  not  proceeded  far,  before  I  saw  some  one  ascending 
toward  me.  It  was  the  old  man  whom  I  had  seen  ap- 
proaching toward  the  temple.  He  was  moving  with  a  very 
alert  and  lively  gait,  and,  with  his  head  still  erect,  was 
twirling  his  staff  around  his  head  with  a  very  joyous  mo- 
tion. I  noticed  that  though  he  had  the  same  white  hair 
and  beard,  the  wrinkles  had  left  his  face,  and  he  seemed 
to  be  both  young  and  old. 

As  he  was  advancing,  I  asked  myself.  What  will  he  do  in 
this  new  country  entirely  among  strangers  ?  And  I  turned 
around  to  recommend  him  to  the  care  of  those  who  had 


8PIKITUALISM.  12T 

accompanied  me  to  the  entrance.  But  I  saw  my  interfe- 
rence was  quite  unnecessary.  He  had  been  discovered  by 
them  also.  They  had  sent  the  word  abroad,  and  spirits 
were  flocking  down  in  great  numbers  to  welcome  him.  By 
this  time  he  had  come  up  to  me,  and  stopped  to  speak  to 
me.  I  pointed  him  to  the  group  that  were  waiting  for  him 
with  looks  of  cheerful  welcome.  His  emotions  were  too 
great  to  enable  him  to  speak.  And  with  deep  humility  he 
resumed  his  way,  and  so  I  parted  with  him. 

I  hurried  down  the  path  and  into  the  temple.  I  was  im- 
pressed I  had  a  duty  to  perform  there,  but  I  saw  no  one  in 
all  that  vast  building.  I  went  again  to  the  corner  of  the 
platform  whence  I  had  surveyed  the  steep  hill,  and  there 
I  saw  the  dark  spirits  still  lurking  under  the  rocks.  They 
were  still  lying  in  wait  for  me,  and  were  unconscious  that 
I  had  already  repeatedly  made  the  ascent  by  another  path. 

I  said  this  to  them.  They  gnashed  their  teeth  with  rage, 
and  with  "  a  vengeful  hollo"  plunged  down  far  beneath  my 
sight,  and  so  I  returned  to  earth  again. 


128  SPIRITUALISM. 


'Sedicn  ^ig^t. 


Sunday  J  Sept.  11,  1853. 
This  evening,  at  Doctor  Dexter's,  it  was  written  : 

In  compliance  with  the  directions  of  the  higher  spirits, 
we  wish  to  utter  a  prayer  always  before  we  commence  the 
duties  of  the  evening ;  and  if  it  conforms  with  your  feel- 
ings, one  will  be  written  to  repeat  every  evening. 

Bacon. 

We  all  expressed  our  assent,  and  it  was  written  : 

Oh,  thou  universal  Spirit !  by  whose  laws  every  thing 
was  created,  and  by  w^hose  love  every  thing  exists  !  wo 
look  to  thee,  and  we  regard  thee  as  our  Father,  for  thou  hast 
taught  us  that  in  loving  thee  we  approach  in  spirit  the  at- 
tributes which  are  thy  characteristics.  We  pray  to  thee 
that  our  feelings  may  be  elevated  to  a  just  perception  of 
what  is  good,  what  is  true,  and  what  should  belong  to  us 
in  connection  with  others.  Enable  us  to  live  consistently, 
and  to  develop  those  feelings  of  our  nature  which  are 
innate  and  coeval  with  thee.  Enable  us  to  control  our- 
selves— to  feel  the  high  obligations  of  beings  destined  to 
live  forever.  Enable  us  to  improve  the  faculties  of  our 
spirit,  as  well  as  material  being,  and  enable  our  desires  for 
the  true,  the  good,  the  just,  and  the  beautiful,  to  develop 
with  our  days,  and  harmonize  with  all  that  we  see  of  thee 
in  thy  works.  Let  us  feel,  let  us  see,  let  us  know  that  in 
us  are  the  germs  of  everlasting  knowledge  and  happiness; 
and  when  at  last  we  lay  down  this  body,  let  our  spirits 
rise  in  their  new  birth,  active  and  earnest  in  the  all-im- 
pelling desire  to  progress  toward  those  spheres  where  thy 


SPIRIT  TJALISM.  129 

glory  and  power,  thy  love  and  wisdom,  are  most  manifest. 
Amen.* 

Then  it  was  further  written  : 

jN'ow,  while  our  hearts  are  full,  and  we  realize  the  pres- 
ence of  those  bright  and  beautiful  beings  who  are  with  us, 
let  us  resume  the  consideration  of  our  proper  subject.  Last 
night  I  attempted  to  illustrate  the  attributes  and  charac- 
teristics of  God  by  referring  to  certain  facts  which  substan- 
tiate our  position,  apparent  through  the  first  volume,  that 
laws  established  by  God  had  their  full  influence  now  as  in 
the  beginning. 

And  in  again  reflecting  upon  the  past,  and  turning  back 
on  creation,  and  all  things  which  live,  move,  and  have 
their  being  on  its  broad  surface,  we  recognize  one  particu- 
lar fact,  and  that  is,  that  while  insects  and  animals,  veg- 
etables and  minerals,  come  under  the  control  of  and  are 
governed  by  certain  laws  in  all  circumstances  and  condi- 
tions ;  that  while  the  whole  of  their  manifestations  are 
obedient  to  principles  which  are  now  and  have  been  un- 
changeable, they  transmit  nothing  to  the  same  species 
which  follow  after  them.  Remaining  the  same,  they  con- 
tinue so  from  age  to  age,  and  their  properties  and  charac- 
ters, their  attributes  and  action,  appear  the  same  in  the 
same  kind  from  one  age  to  another ;  and  yet  the  develop- 
ments of  feeling  or  instinct  in  animals  would  lead  us  to 
suppose  that  there  might  or  could  be  a  change  in  their  na- 
ture, differing  from  the  condition  in  which  they  might  be 
situated  at  a  different  period  of  time.  But  does  the  horse 
of  to-day  differ  in  instinct  or  properties  from  the  horse  in* 
the  days  of  Moses  ?  When  we  notice  the  small  insect 
called  the  ant,  and  watch  the  wondrous  workings  of  its  re- 
markable instinct,  we  are  struck  with  its  sagacity  and  in- 
genuity.    It  constructs  dwellings,  contrived  with  so  much 

*  Now  while  I  am  revising  these  papers  for  the  press,  it  is  written  to  me  by 
Bacon,  through  Doctor  Dexter,  "  This  prayer  will  have  greater  solemnity  and 
beauty  when  you  understand  it  was  composed  and  written  by  your  wife." 

9 


130  SPIRITUALISM. 

wisdom,  that  even  man  can  hardly  imitate.  It  resolves 
into  communities,  and  selects  from  its  numbers  some  one 
as  chief  or  head.  It  raises  armies,  and  sends  them  forth 
on  enterprises  where  much  sagacity  and  absolute  knowl- 
edge is  required  for  success.  It  forces  from  others  of  a 
different  sphere  the  strongest  and  hardiest,  and  compels 
them  to  serve  as  slaves  and  to  perform  all  the  drudgery  of 
household  or  field  labor.  In  fine,  it  manifests  intelligence 
which  astonishes  the  learned  and  perplexes  the  wise.  But 
do  the  insects  of  to-day  diflfer  from  those  who  were  noticed 
a  thousand  years  ago  ?  Why  should  their  attributes  remain 
the  same,  if  God  acted  specially  ?     But  enough  of  this. 

I  remark,  that  if  God  were  a  person* — were  his  acts  di- 
rected by  any  special  manifestation,  there  would  not,  there 
could  not,  be  any  dependence  on  the  established  laws  of 
nature.  What  to-day  would  be  noticed  as  arranged  for  the 
planets,  might  to-morrow  be  changed  for  some  other  insti- 
tute, totally  altering  the  whole  order  and  appearance  of  the 
planets.  The  seasons  would  not  follow  in  course.  Where 
now  are  peace,  and  plenty,  and  order,  and  regularity,  all 
might  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  be  trans- 
formed into  a  wilderness  where  no  plant  would  grow,  and 
where  desolation  would  reign  supreme. f 

*  While  revising,  it  is  written  to  me  in  explanation,  "  A  person  according 
to  the  expressed  biblical  idea." 

t  While  thus  revising  (August,  1854),  it  is  written  by  Bacon  through  the 
Doctor : 

"  In  saying  that  he  is  a  principle,  we  do  not  mean  that  there  is  no  identity. 
If  spirit  possesses  form,  the  source  from  which  it  springs  should  of  course  have 
form.  The  great  Source  of  all,  though  manifest  in  every  created  thing,  is  not 
there  in  person,  but  represented  by  his  law.  As  when  a  man  has  directed  the 
erection  of  a  house,  he  doesnot  find  it  necessary  to  be  there  in  person ;  his 
plans  are  executed  by  his  workmen,  and  his  idea  is  carried  out  in  their  per- 
formance of  his  laws. 

"  Thus  with  God.  He  is  a  principle ;  for  he  is  the  source,  the  head,  the 
germ  of  all  creation ;  for  every  thing  has  its  origin  in  and  from  him.  The 
laws  he  has  established  are  the  evidences  of  his  existence,  and  the  execution 
of  those  laws  exhibit  his  impartiality  and  love.  The  various  forms  and  phases 
of  creation  show  his  ideas  of  beauty  and  harmony,  and  the  radiance  and  glory 


SPIRITUALISM.  131 

Again ;  it  is  necessary  for  the  perpetuation  of  all  crea- 
tion, that  God  should  act  by  laws  which  are  unchangeable ; 
for  were  it  not  so  there  would  not,  there  could  not,  be  any 
development,  any  progression.  Every  thing  that  God 
created  shows  emphatically  that  he  intended  development. 
Suppose  for  one  moment  that  any  special  providence  should 
influence  man,  what  would  be  the  effect  ?  If  man  were,  un- 
der the  providence  of  God,  successful  in  every  thing  that 
belonged  to  earth,  the  consequences  of  any  change  would 
so  disturb  his  social  connections  and  relations,  that  society 
would  become  an  anarchy,  and  instead  of  progressing  in 
all  those  characteristics  which  mark  him  as  man  possessing 
a  spirit,  he  would  retrograde  to  the  same  level  with  the 
brutes,  and  become  so  identified  with  them  that  he  could 
transmit  none  of  those  glorious  discoveries,  none  of  those 
vast  contrivances,  which  now  so  plainly  show  his  origin 
and  destiny. 

I  remarked  a  few  evenings  since  that  even  Christ's  last 
act  on  earth,  even  after  he  had  ascended  to  heaven,  was 
proof  of  the  materiality  oT  the  soul.  I  said  this  that  you 
might  observe  the  connection  and  influence  of  laws  acting 
on  matter  here,  with  the  same  laws  in  their  full  effect 
after  the  spirit  has  passed  from  the  earth  to  the  spheres ; 
and,  that  you  might  comprehend  the  force  'of  that  great 
principle  which  I  am  trying  to  illustrate,  that  an  instituted 
system  of  unchangeable  laws^  whose  effects  are  apjparent  in 
and  through  matter  everywhere^  must  he  perpetuated  immuta- 
hly  through  all  time^  as  well  for  the  harmonious  action  of 
all  created  things^  as  for  the  development  and  progression  of 
the  soul  /  and  that  it  was  impossible  for  even  God  himself 
to  maintain  the  order  and  harmonious  relation  of  the  crea- 
tion he  has  fashioned  from  chaos,  if  he  w^ere  to  change  or 

■with  which  he  has  clothed  the  earth  demonstrate  his  delight  in  that  which 
gives  dignity  and  glory  to  his  works. 

"Thus,  though  the  very  God  is  a  principle,  yet  he  is  and  must  be  a  person. 
May  not— oh !  will  not  the  form  be  developed  to  us,  when  we  shall  have 
arrived  at  that  state  of  holiness  when  we  can  see  eye  to  eye  and  face  to  face  ?" 


132  SPIRITUALISM. 

alter  his  laws  or  their  action  one  jot  or  tittle.  Thus  much, 
and  now  for  Progression.  Read  what  is  written,  and  I  will 
continue. 

I  did  sOj  and  it  was  written  : 

We  have  brought  our  minds  to  the  consideration  of  space 
as  it  was,  when  God  had  not  called  the  principles  of  life 
and  motion  into  action,  or,  rather,  when  the  usual  constit- 
uents existing  through  all  space  had  not  felt  the  impelling 
force  of  development,  and  could  not,  therefore,  form  or 
fashion  themselves  into  organized  matter. 

Here,  at  the  appointed  signal,  I  read  the  3d  verse  of  the  1st  chapter 
of  Genesis  :  "  And  God  said,  Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light." 

"  And  God  said,  Let  there  be  light."  And  now  the  time 
had  arrived  when,  through  the  impelling  power  of  develop- 
ment, the  constituents  or  atomic  particles  lying  dormant  in 
that  chaos  were  drawn  by  the  operation  of  attraction  to- 
ward one  another.  Thus  was  manifest  the  first  evidence 
of  creative  power  in  motion.  Then  from  every  part  of  that 
vast  space,  from  point  to  point,  from  limit  to  limit,  over 
the  whole  of  its  vast  surface,  and  even  to  its  illimitable 
depths,  the  atoms  or  particles  moving  toward  each  other, 
obedient  to  the  great  law  which  governed  their  action — 
particles  so  small  that  they  could  not  be  discovered  even 
with  a  powerful  glass — now  united  with  others,  and  then 
w^ith  others,  until  each  new  combination  resolved  itself  into 
a  still  larger,  and  at  each  union  the  force  and  motion  were 
increased,  vast  bodies  of  a  gaseous  nature  were  formed,  the 
velocity  and  motion  of  which  were  so  great,  that,  acting  on 
the  atmosphere  which  was  generated  by  this  revolution 
and  combination  of  the  atomic  particles,  light  and  heat 
were  developed  by  the  friction. 

Here  I  read  the  4th  verse,  as  follows  :  "  And  God  saw  the  light  that 
it  was  good,  and  God  divided  the  light  from  the  darkness." 

"  And  God  saw  the  light  that  it  was  good." 

To  expect  that  I,  the  spirit  of  Lord  Bacon,  should  be 


SPIRITUALISM.  133 

able  to  penetrate  the  arcana  of  nature,  and  explain  how  God 
created  every  thing,  would  be  assuming  I  was  as  intelligent 
as  my  Creator.  I  do  no  such  thing.  I  give  you  opinions, 
and  facts  when  I  can  do  so.  Much  of  what  I  now  write  is 
opinion.  Take  it  for  what  it  is  worth,  and  glean  what  in- 
struction and  good  you  can  from  it. 

Each  globe  was  governed,  as  to  its  size,  by  the  influence  of 
the  attractive  power  which  gathered  the  particles  together. 
Thus  some  were  larger  and  some  smaller,  and  all  of  them 
in  their  localities  possessed  peculiar  properties  differing 
from  each  other. 

But  it  was  not  the  ignition  of  the  gases  by  friction  that 
created  the  light  that  was  separated,  as  it  is  to  our  earth 
by  night  and  day ;  though  we  can  imagine  the  glorious 
and  transcendent  appearance  these  vast  bodies  would  make, 
lighted  up  by  their  own  fires,  and  moving  and  flashing  in 
what  was  before  an  eternal  darkness  ;  and  we  must  recol- 
lect that  each  body  was  governed  by  laws,  and  that  the 
development  of  no  one  of  all  the  innumerable  bodies  now 
visible  to  your  eye  in  the  vast  firmament  above,  was  instan- 
taneous with  another.  The  body  called  the  sun  undoubted- 
ly gave  the  light  which  illumined  this  profound  darkness. 

*  The  mind  is  fired  with  its  own  imagining  when  it  pic- 
tures the  sun  shining  forth  and  dissipating  the  dark  pall 
which  shrouded  this  gloomy  chaos.  Now,  indeed,  did  God 
say,  "Let  there  be  light ;''  for  when  that  body  had  arrived 
at  that  state  of  development  that  it  could  send  forth  its 
bright  rays,  the  deepest  profundity  of  this  eternal  gloom 
was  lighted  up  with  its  glorious  beams. 

Then  flashed  across  its  surface  the  golden  light ;  then 
from  its  gloomy  recesses  were  reflected  the  gold,  the  violet, 
the  red,  and  the  thousand  sparkling  rays  that  garnished 
that  vast  area  as  if  with  jewels  of  inestimable  price.  Tlien, 
for  the  first  time,  the  clouds  floating  in  space  gave  back 
the  varied  colors  of  the  rainbow.  Then  did  the  eternal 
distance,  incomprehensible  to  man,  yield  its  heavenly  blue 
to  cheer  and  comfort  him,  instead  of  darkness  more  pro- 


134:  SPIRITUALISM. 

found  than  night.  Then  waked  to  a  new  birth  the  flashing 
identities  which  give  beauty  to  creation,  and  when  the 
light  from  the  sun  first  shone  into  those  depths  of  gloom, 
it  clothed  every  thing  in  the  proper  colors  of  its  nature. 
Then  did  the  Great  First  Cause  see  that  the  light  was  to 
his  new  creation  beautiful,  for  it  waked  up  from  nature's 
eternal  gloom  the  rays  reflecting  heaven's  own  brightness. 
Oh  !  it  was  a  glorious  sight  to  see  nature  thus  unfolded,  as 
if  a  dark  mantle  had  been  removed  from  its  face,  when  to 
our  earth  it  showed  forth  the  glorious  beauties  of  its  sur- 
face, and  sent  such  a  glad  shout  of  joy  from  every  thing 
which  lived,  that  its  echoes  have  not  yet  died  away  in  the 
distant  limits  of  creation,  but  the  murmui*  still  travels  on 
and  will  eternally  travel.  And  when  we  all  are  in  the 
spheres,  and  our  spirits  filled  with  the  glory  and  power 
of  .God,  perhaps  we  shall  be  viewing  together  the  beauty 
of  some  plan6t  beyond ;  then  shall  come  to  us,  trembling 
and  indistinct,  this  murmur  in  the  distance,  waking  our 
spirits  to  a  consciousness  of  nature's  response,  w^hen  God 
said,  Let  there  be  light.  Bacon. 

VISION. 

Then  commenced  the  manifestation  through  me,  which  I  related  as 
follows : 

I  saw  the  old  man  whom  I  had  met  in  the  path,  when 
he  ascended  the  steps  of  this  new  country  and  mingled 
with  the  spirits  there  awaiting  him.  They  had  assembled 
in  great  numbers  to  welcome  him,  and  they  were  profuse 
in  their  ofl'ers  to  him  of  a  home  with  any  of  them,  until 
he  should  erect  one  for  himself. 

I  noticed  that  the  color  of  the  light,  which  was  pale 
yellow  when  I  descended  the  steps,  had  changed  to  that 
brilliant  lake  color  which  I  had  observed  to  prevail  when 
I  first  entered  there.  And  I  learned  that  that  was  always 
so  when  a  new  spirit  came  among  them,  and  it  signified 
their  joy  at  his  advent. 


SPIRITUALISM.  135 

The  old  man  moved  along  the  path,  surrounded  with 
this  throng  of  joyous  and  affectionate  spirits.  And  though 
his  heart  was  full  at  the  warmth  of  his  welcome,  I  saw 
that  his  mind  was  also  occupied  witli  anotlier  thought. 
At  length  he  gave  utterance  to  it  by  asking  why  I  had  left 
the  country,  and  wlicther  I  would  not  return?  They  told 
him  I  was  a  mortal  yet,  and  could  not  remain ;  that  I  came 
there  to  see  that  country,  that  I  might  describe  it  to  my 
fellow-mortals,  and  had  been  drawn  there  by  the  strong 
affection  of  my  wife  and  children,  and  the  great  duty 
which  had  been  opened  to  me.  He  immediately,  and  with 
great  alertness,  asked  if  they  w^ere  there?  They  answered 
by  pointing  them  out  to  him  in  the  crowd  on  his  left  hand, 
at  a  little  distance.  He  immediately  left  the  crowd  and 
moved  up  to  them.  He  approached  them  with  great  re- 
spect and  affection,  and  after  a  few  words  with  my  wife, 
he  turned  to  the  surrounding  spirits  and  said,  "  I  wall  take 
up  my  residence  with  this  family.  It  is  to  him  I  owe  my 
redemption,  and  I  will  serve  those  he  loves  so  well  till  he 
comes."  The  spirits,  with  one  accord,  clapped  their  hands 
in  approval  of  a  course  of  conduct  so  consonant  to  the 
prevailing  sentiment  of  the  place.  The  surrounding  spirits 
then  left  and  retired  to  their  respective  residences,  and 
that  old  man,  w^ith  my  wife  and  children,  turned  off  the 
main  path  and  ascended  that  where  I  had  accompanied 
them  before,  and  proceeded  to  their  residence,  a  far  dis- 
tance up  that  path. 

Thus  far  I  had  seen  while  the  Doctor  was  writing,  and  it  was  a  rep- 
resentation of  what  had  occurred  the  day  before  after  I  had  left.  Now, 
when  I  gave  myself  up  to  the  influence,  I  found 

I  was  w^alking  up  that  same  path  accompanied  by  them, 
and  was  just  leaving  the  place  where  I  had  been  shown 
the  stairway.  On  both  sides  of  me  were  beautiful  resi- 
dences standing  back  from  the  road. 

One  I  noticed  in  particular,  because  it  was  surrounded 
by  trees  and  shrubbery,  as  I  had  sometimes  seen  among  the 


136  SPIRITUALISM. 

natives  in  Central  America.  The  trees  grew  close  together, 
and  intermingled  their  dense  foliage  overhead,  producing  a 
very  soft  shade  all  around  their  trunks.  They  were  trimmed 
up  as  far  as  the  arm  could  reach,  and  the  ground  around 
their  base  was  leveled  very  smooth,  entirely  free  from  grass, 
and  kept  very  clean,  so  that  it  was  a  cool  and  delightful 
promenade.  This  grove  was  at  the  side  and  behind  the 
west  end  of  the  house,  and  extended  off,  I  observed,  some 
distance  in  that  direction.  The  whole  place  was  very  at- 
tractive to  me,  and  I  had  a  wish  to  examine  it  more  closely. 
My  companions  immediately  turned  with  me  into  the  in- 
closure. 

I  noticed  that  the  ground  in  front  of  the  house,  and  be- 
tween it  and  the  path,  were  not,  as  at  the  other  places  I  had 
seen,  ornamented  with  flowers,  but  they  were  used  as  a 
vegetable  garden,  and  it  was  in  very  perfect  order,  and 
growing  very  luxuriantly.  I  saw  growing  there  Indian 
corn,  potatoes,  beets,  and  lettuce.  There  were  other  va- 
rieties, but  I  did  not  particularly  notice  them.  But  there 
seemed  to  be  nothing  there  merely  for  ornament.  All  was 
for  use,  but  all  was  in  order.  As  I  approached  the  house, 
I  saw  at  my  left  some  out-houses  near  the  edge  of  the  trees, 
as  if  for  animals. 

I  became  at  once  impressed  that  that  was  the  farm  estab- 
lishment for  that  community,  and  he  who  lived  there  had 
been  a  farmer  on  earth,  and  now  superintended  it  for  the 
common  welfare. 

I  saw  no  one  around  the  place.  The  house  was  an  old- 
fashioned  farm-house,  one  and  a  half  story  high,  with  a 
wide  portico  in  front,  with  seats  in  it.  My  companions 
stopped  there,  but  I  proceeded  around  the  house  ipto  the 
grove. 

Tliere,  back  of  the  grove,  I  saw  a  large  field  of  wheat 
growing  very  thrifty,  and  nearly  ripe.  It  seemed  to  be 
stirred  by  a  gentle  breeze,  and  waved  gracefully  and  peace- 
fully, as  I  have  often  seen  it  here  in  midsummer.  The  grove 
of  trees,  and  the  clean,  smooth  walk  under  the  shade,  con- 


SPIRITUALISM.  13Y 

tinued  all  around  the  field,  and  it  was  the  only  fence  it  had. 
Many  of  the  trees  bore  flowers  to  their  very  top  branches, 
and  up  some  of  them  flowering  vines  twined  to  their  very 
summit,  mingling  together,  in  an  enormous  bouquet,  the 
golden  flowers  of  the  trees. with  the  pale  purple  flowers  of 
the  vines.  The  perfume  that  ever  and  anon  was  wafted  in 
my  face  was  most  exquisite,  sometimes  almost  too  strong 
for  my  endurance.  Along,  back  of  the  field  and  through 
the  woods,  a  small  stream  of  water  meandered  quietly,  and 
on  its  banks  and  within  the  grove  were  many  rustic  seats. 
It  was  a  scene  of  delightful  repose  and  enjoyment. 

Behind  that  field  of  grain  was  another,  skirted  in  like 
manner  by  a  grove  of  trees  and  a  running  brook ;  and  be- 
hind that  still  another.  West  of  these  grain  fields  I  saw 
several  orchards  of  fruit  trees,  separated  in  like  manner 
from  each  other  by  groves  of  trees  which  were  much  smallei 
than  the  others,  so  as  not  to  cast  too  much  shade  ;  and  amid 
those  groves  also  there  were  the  same  running  brooks.  In 
those  groves  I  noticed  a  tree  shaped  like  an  umbrella,  not 
running  up  high  but  spreading  out  broad,  with  very  dense 
foliage  of  dark  green  leaves,  like  the  leaf  of  the  lemon  tree. 
From  its  lower  limbs  there  hung  down  a  species  of  moss, 
which  was  an  air-plant,  and  dropped  its  festoons  down 
nearly  to  the  ground  very  gracefully. 

I  saw  four  of  these  orchards,  one  behind  the  other,  and 
parallel  with  the  grain  fields. 

I  noticed  that  in  one  there  were  peaches,  in  another 
plums,  very  large  and  yellow,  blue,  and  pale  green.  I  did 
not  observe  what  were  in  the  others. 

As  I  passed  through  the  orchards  and  into  the  same  kind 
of  grove  beyond,  I  observed  that  there  was  a  considerable 
stream  of  water  which  approached  from  the  west,  and,  as 
it  reached  the  orchards,  had  been  branched  off  into  four  or 
five  smaller  streams,  which  were  conducted  through  the 
several  groves  and  around  the  various  fields,  so  as  to  irri- 
gate them,  and  at  the  same  time  add  to  the  beauty  of  the 
scene  and  its  quiet  repose. 


138  SPIRITUALISM. 

I  had  noticed  as  I  passed,  tliat  the  out-houses  which  I  saw 
were  for  the  mules  which  were  used  on  the  farm,  but  thus 
far  I  had  seen  no  animals  nor  man.  But  now  I  noticed, 
beyond  the  orchard,  a  dense  forest  of  enormous  trees,  and 
in  it  there  was  a  w*ater-fall  and  a  saw-mill,  and  now  I  saw 
the  man  whose  place  I  was  on.  He  w^as  at  work  at  the 
saw-mill  with  four  or  five  assistants.  He  was  dressed  in 
shirt  and  trowsers,  and  his  sleeves  w^ere  rolled  up.  He  and 
his  companions  seemed  very  cheerful  and  happy  at  their 
work.  It  seemed  as  if  they  were  toiling  for  the  pleasure 
of  it,  and  were  evidently  enjoying  it.  They  were  singing 
and  laughing,  telling  stories  and  cracking  jokes  upon  each 
other. 

The  saw-mill  was  at  work  with  four  saws  agoing ;  but  I 
did  not  see  around  it  any  of  the  litter  which  I  have  been 
accustomed  to  here :  no  loose  piles  of  slab,  no  heaps  of 
sawdust,  no  decaying  logs,  but  every  thing  was  neat  and 
orderly.  The  logs  were  piled  up  in  heaps,  and  so  arranged 
as  to  look  very  handsome.  They  were  arranged  in  piles. 
I  counted  the  base.  It  consisted  of  eight  logs,  then  above 
that  layer  seven,  and  then  six,  and  so  on  up  to  a  point. 

All  their  rubbish  and  dirt,  I  observed,  were  carried  off 
by  a  sewer  dug  under  ground,  and  terminating  at  the  preci- 
pice which  I  have  already  mentioned.  By  means  of  a 
waste-weir  all  the  rubbish  was  carried  off  that  way,  and 
the  water  passed  clear  and  pure  down  through  the  farm. 
When  I  approached,  they  were  sawing  a  large  log  with  the 
whole  four  saws.  It  was  a  singular  kind  of  wood,  some- 
thing like  the  bird's-eye  maple,  but  the  spots  were  larger, 
and  the  wood  susceptible  of  a  higher  polish. 

Each  board,  as  it  came  from  the  saw,  was  finely  polished 
and  smooth,  and  I  examined  to  see  how  that  was  done. 
The  back  of  each  saw  was  as  thick  as  its  front  edge,  and 
so  constructed  that  it  smoothed  off  and  polished,  as  it  went 
along,  the  roughness  which  the  teeth  made. 

The  mill  itself  was  a  beautiful  structure.  It  was  a  Doric 
temple,  with  two  rows  of  columns,  open  entirely  at  the  sides, 


SPIRITUALISM.  189 

and  a  roof  that  projected  over  both  at  the  ends  and  the 
sides.  He  had  had  time  enough  to  build  it,  and  had  taken 
care  to  ornament  it. 

Just  beyond  this  mill  I  saw  a  pasture  in  which  horses 
and  cows  were  grazing,  and  through  it  ran  that  stream  of 
water. 

Beyond  this  pasture  was  a  woody  grove,  full  of  poultry, 
turkeys,  geese,  ducks,  and  chickens.  It  was  a  great  aviary.  I 
saw  peacocks,  macaws,  the  bird  of  paradise,  doves,  fantailed 
pigeons,  canary  birds,  etc.  It  was  a  delightful  music  that 
was  heard  from  this  grove,  and  its  feathered  inhabitants 
seemed  the  very  picture  of  merriment  and  happiness. 

Beyond  this  aviary  was  an  extensive  forest,  extending 
far  back  in  the  distance,  and  looked  very  much  like  the  oak 
openings  in  the  far  West.  Tlie  trees  were  far  enough  apart 
for  one  to  drive  a  coach-and«four  among  them,  and  the  un- 
der limbs  and  branches  had  been  broWzed  off  about  eight  or 
ten  feet  high.  Occasionally,  and  more  particularly  near 
the  creek,  there  were  spots  entirely  free  from  trees,  where 
there  was  a  rich  pasture.  In  these  woods  and  in  the  pas- 
tures I  saw  many  animals.  I  noticed  particularly  only 
rabbits  and  deers,  of  different  ages,  from  the  huge  antlered 
stag  to  the  young  fawn. 

My  attention  was  attracted  to  a  noise  in  the  woods,  and 
I  saw  a  stag  with  large  horns  branching  out,  running  to- 
ward me  at  full  speed,  closely  pursued  by  a  large  gray- 
hound.  It  was  an  exciting  scene,  and  I  asked  myself,  Do 
they  hunt  here  ?  But  I  soon  saw  that  it  was  only  sport  be- 
tween those  animals.  As  they  approached  the  bank  of  the 
stream,  the  stag  stopped  and  turned  around.  The  hound 
stopped  also,  and  began  to  gambol  around  the  stag,  appar- 
ently enticing  him  to  chase  in  turn.  The  stag  trotted  with 
a  stately  gait  toward  the  dog,  who  fled  from  him,  and  thus 
playing  I  left  them,  and  returned  to  the  house. 

My  return  was  instantaneous,  as  if  I  had  been  borne 
through  the  air  at  my  wish,  while  my  passage  out  had  been 
a  very  leisurely  walk. 


140  SPIRITUALISM. 

On  my  return  to  the  house  I  found  my  companions  still 
seated  in  the  piazza.  A  female  of  mature  age,  who  seemed 
to  be  the  mistress  of  the  mansion,  was  standing  in  the  door- 
way, leaning  against  the  door-post  talking  to  my  wife.  A 
younger  female,  apparently  her  daughter,  was  leaning  out 
of  the  window^  of  the  front  room  conversing  with  my  son 
and  daughter.  The  younger  female  had  a  red  collar  to  her 
garments,  while  those  of  the  other  female  were  trimmed 
with  pale  green  belt,  and  purple  cuffs  and  colors.  Her 
hair  was  done  up  in  a  knot  behind,  but  how  it  was  fas- 
tened up  I  could  not  be  certain,  but  it  seemed  as  if  by  a 
silver  arrow  thrust  through,  it.  This  w^as  her  working- 
dress,  and  she  seemed  to  be  as  industrious  as  her  hus- 
band. 

I  saw  through  the  hall  out  back  of  the  house  a  large 
churn  as  large  as  a  barrel,  of  white  wood  with  brass  hoops, 
and  very  clean. 

Observing  what  attracted  my  attention,  she  invited  me 
to  walk  out  back  and  examine  for  myself  I  did  so,  and 
she  accompanied  me. 

I  found  out  there  a  very  wide  piazza  on  which  the  most 
of  her  work  was  done.  At  one  end  of  it  I  saw  many  tin 
pans  hanging  up  against  the  wall,  and  under  them  was  a 
table,  fastened  to  the  building  by  hinges,  and  capable  of 
being  lifted  up  or  let  down  at  pleasure.  On  that  she  told 
me  she  made  her  bread. 

I  had  not  yet  seen  any  glass  windows.  On  this  piazza 
there  were  openings  for  windows,  but  I  saw  no  sashes  or 
glass.  Standing  against  these  openings  was  a  long,  narrow 
table  with  drawers  in  it. 

The  floor  seemed  to  be  of  stone,  sloping  from  the  house 
outward,  and  terminating  in  a  gutter  which  ended  in  a 
sewer  under  ground,  and  thus  all  refuse  water  was  car- 
ried off. 

The  water  from  the  brook  was  carried  into  the  piazza, 
and  fell  from  a  penstock  in  a  small  stream  into  a  basin, 
elevated  about  foup  feet  from  the  floor.    It  ran  over  tho 


SPIKITTJALISM.  141 

sides  of  that  basin  into  a  larger  one  on  the  floor  whence  it 
escaped  into  the  sewer. 

I  observed  that  parts  of  the  floor  of  the  piazza  were  so 
constructed,  that  by  moving  an  iipright  stick  standing  back 
against  the  side  of  the  house,  a  lattice-work  could  be  opened 
and  let  the  air  pass  up.  This  was  done  to  give  ventilation, 
and  I  observed  that  the  slats  of  the  lattice- work  were  so  con- 
structed as  not  to  let  the  water  through,  but  to  carry  it  off 
into  the  gutter. 

While  in  this  piazza,  I  observed  back  of  the  house  sev- 
eral orange  trees  full  of  fruits  and  flowers,  and  monkeys 
playing  in  their  branches.  Here,  for  the  first  time,  I  saw  a 
cat ;  she  was  playing  with  the  monkeys,  and  chasing  them 
up  the  trees.  I  saw  also,  at  a  little  distance  to  the  right,  a 
large,  old-fashioned  barn  for  storing  grain,  and  between  it 
and  the  house  was  a  large  field  of  Indian  corn.  The  barn 
was  standing  near  the  stream  of  water,  and  had  contriv- 
ances by  which  all  its  rubbish  and  dirt  would  be  carried 
off  by  it.  And  here  I  observed  that  the  stream  of  water 
tended  north,  and  became  at  a  short  distance  again  united 
with  the  others  into  a  large  creek. 

In  passing  from  the  back  to  the  front  of  the  house,  I  ob- 
served the  hall  had  upon  it  what  had  the  appearance  of  an 
old-fashioned  rag  carpet.  The  female,  reading  my  sur- 
prise at  that,  told  me  they  had  been  farmers  on  earth,  and 
had  taken  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  in  their  way  of  living, 
and  had  purposely  surrounded  themselves  with  the  comforts 
to  which  they  had  been  accustomed. 

The  boards  of  the  hall  floor  were  so  clean  and  polished 
that  they  shone. 

I  saw  also  in  the  hall  an  old-fashioned  stairway  leading 
to  upper  rooms. 

Some  one  of  the  circle  here  inquired,  If  they  thus  worked  for  the  whole 
community  as  a  matter  of  duty  enjoined  upon  them,  or  did  it  volunta- 
rily ?     The  female  answered — 

"  We  do  it  voluntarily.  We  take  pleasure  in  it.  When 
we  want  help  we  say  so  to  those  around,  and  they  come  of 


142  SPIRITUALISM. 

their  own  accord."  The  daughter,  laughing,  added,  "  I 
don't  have  much  work  to  do,  so  many  come  and  offer  to 
work,  and  when  thej  come  we  have  merry  times.  We  tell 
stories,  laugh,  and  are  full  of  fun." 

I  observed  that  their  house  was  not  large,  and  the  fam- 
ilj^  consisted  of  only  three  persons,  the  man,  his  wife,  and 
daughter.  They  were  originally  from  Germany.  TJiey 
had  been  in  the  spirit-world  many  years,  and  there  had 
been  many  new  inventions  to.  facilitate  farm  labor  since 
they  left  the  earth,  which  they  had  learned  and  adopted. 
Among  other  things,  the  woman  showed  me  a  pair  of 
heavy  wooden  shoes,  the  soles  at  least  two  inches  thick, 
and  told  me  that  she  used  to  wear  them,  and  then  she 
showed  me  the  light  leather  shoes  she  now  wore,  and 
laughingly  compared  them  together. 

Some  one  of  the  circle  asked  me  to  inquire  how  many  years  she  had 
been  in  the  spirit- world  ? 

She  answered  she  could  not  tell  by  years,  only  by 
events  ;  but  it  was  before  the  Crusades.  She  added,  she 
remained  only  a  few  years  in  the  lower  plane,  when  all 
three  were  united  and  ascended  together. 

I  inquired  of  the  daughter  if  she  had  never  been  mar- 
ried? She  answered  she  supposed  I  would  call  it  mar- 
riage. There  was  one  to  whom  she  was  much  attached, 
and  they  loved  each  other's  society,  and  they  were  a 
good  deal  together.  He  was  now  at  work  at  the  saw-mill. 
And  she  said  he  would  come  in  from  the  saw-mill,  not  at 
all  tired  with  his  w^ork,  and  would  kick  up  his  heels  and  go 
to  dancing.  "Yes,"  added  her  mother,  "  and  you  join  him 
in  doing  so."  She  showed  me  a  guitar  and  a  flute,  and 
said  they  played  and  sang  together.  She  said  her  father 
sang,  but  her  mother  never  found  time  to  sing. 

The  young  girl  seemed  full  of  frolic,  and  fun,  and  joy ; 
she  could  hardly  keep  still.  As  she  and  my  daughter  sat 
close  together,  I  could  not  help  noticing  the  difference. 
My  daughter  was  still  and  quiet,  and  apparently  very  in- 
tellectual.  -She  was  not  without  emotions,  but  she  repressed 


SPIRITUALISM.  143 

them,  and  I  saw  her  once  in  a  while  lay  her  hand  on  her 
heart,  as  if  to  hush  all  within.  She  had  a  very  heavenly 
expression  of  countenance.  Her  forehead  was  high,  and 
seemed  to  be  transparent,  so  that  every  thought  could  be 
read.  The  other  girl  had  red  cheeks  and  a  round  face, 
and  was  so  full  of  frolic !  My  son  stood  at  a  little  dis- 
tance, leaning  against  the  side  of  the  house,  in  an  attitude 
quite  common  with  me ;  it  is  one  which  my  wife  always 
liked,  and  she  had  taught  it  to  him. 

I  saw  some  company  coming  toward  the  house ;  they 
were  three  young  females  and  a  young  man  ;  they  were 
very  merry.  The  young  man  walked  behind  with  one  of 
the  girls,  and  the  other  two  were  walking  before  them  ;  he 
had  been  telling  tliem  something  which  amused  them,  and 
one  of  the  girls — the  one  directly  before  him— laughed  so 
loud  and  merry  that  it  rang  out  clear  and  joyful,  making 
every  thing  glad  around.  The  young  girl  in  the  house 
went  out  to  meet  them  ;  and  when  she  met  them  she  told 
them  I  was  there  ;  they  had  been  told  of  my  being  in  the 
country,  but  had  not  seen  me,  and  had  not  expected  to 
meet  me  there.  They  became  silent  at  once,  and  showed 
the  same  emotion  I  had  witnessed  in  others,  love  and  ad- 
miration, and  a  wish  at  once  to  know  what  they  could  do 
to  help  the  matter  along. 

The  young  girl  of  the  house  took  her  guitar  and  repaired 
to  the  grove  at  the  end  of  the  house,  where  she  played,  and 
the  four  new-comers  danced  ;  it  seemed  to  be  a  sort  of  co- 
tillion they  danced,  and  ended  with  a  waltz.  The  player 
amused  herself  occasionally  by  changing  the  time  faster  or 
slower,  and  then  laughed  at  the  manner  she  affected  their 
motion  so  heartily  that  she  could  at  times  hardly  play  at  all. 

Then  one  of  the  females  danced  alone.  She  was  exqui- 
sitely graceful ;  and  hers  was  the  very  poetry  of  motion.  She 
evidently  was  very  fond  of  it,  and  her  grace  and  motion 
were  very  beautiful.  The  player  on  the  guitar  was  now 
very  careful  about  her  music,  for  she  was  as  much  enrap- 
tured at  the  dancing  as  the  rest  were.    At  length  the  dancer 


144  SPIKITUALISM. 

stopped,  saying,  ''  There,  I  have  danced  long  enough  for 
your  amusement,  now  you  dance  for  mine."  She  was  tall 
and  slender,  yet  round  and  healthy.  Her  hair  was  a  silky 
chestnut  color,  and  was  tied  behind  with  a  blue  ribbon. 
One  of  the  other  females  had  a  head  of  thick,  black  hair, 
curling  down  her  shoulders,  and  occasionally,  while  danc- 
ing, she  would  raise  her  hand  and  push  it  out  of  her  eyes. 
The  young  gentleman  had  a  light  beard  and  mustaches ; 
he  wore  a  skull-cap,  with  a  single  feather  in  it ;  he  wore  it 
jauntily  on  one  side  of  his  head.  He  had  large  benevo- 
lence, but  only  a  medium  intellect.  He  was  ever  thinking 
what  he  could  do  for  others,  and  never  thinking  of  him- 
self. The  old  man,  however,  who  had  chosen  to  reside 
with  my  family,  had  large  intellect  and  great  energy  and 
decision  of  character ;  he  had  a  sparkling  black  eye,  and  a 
very  benevolent  countenance.* 

We  turned  to  take  our  leave,  for  it  was  time  for  me  to 
go.  The  matron  invited  me  to  call  on  her  again,  and  she 
would,  she  said,  give  me  a  drink  of  buttermilk. 

As  we  returned  we  found  a  narrow,  paved  path  inside  of 
the  posts  and  railing,  and  we  went  along  that,  my  wife 
hanging  on  my  arm.  The  paving  was  of  square  stones, 
very  highly  polished,  and  full  of  the  most  beautiful  petri- 
factions. Its  ground- work  was  yellow,  and  presented  an 
infinite  variety. 

That  pathway  led  to  the  most  stately  mansion  I  had  yet 
seen  ;  it  was  a  double  house,  two  stories  high,  and  painted 
white.  It  had  no  trees  around  it,  but  abundance  of  shrub- 
bery and  flowers.  The  grounds  on  which  it  stood  were  in- 
closed with  a  border  of  shrubbery,  growing  about  four  feet 
high ;  and  I  observed  that  when  it  led  back  from  the  path 
it  zigzagged  like  a  pair  of  stairs,  until  it  met  from  both 
sides  at  a  bridge  over  the  creek  back  of  the  house.  The 
bridge  led  across  to  a  beautiful  grove,  at  the  edge  of  which 
stood  a  summer-house  of  open  lattice- work,  but  with  the 

*  Montlis  afterward  I  learned  he  was  Abner  Kneeland. 


SPIRITUALISM.  145 

most  graceful  roof  to  it  that  I  ever  saw.  It  was  covered 
with  flowering  and  fragrant  vines,  bearing  white,  pink,  and 
scarlet  flowers,  variegated  beautifully.  One  of  the  vines 
bore  a  flower,  shaped  and  colored  like  a  small,  ripe  pear. 
By  one  side  of  its  neck  it  hung  to  the  vine,  and  the  other 
opened  to  receive  the  dew  into  the  cup  of  the  flower. 
Another  of  the  vines  bore  a  flower  about  six  inches  long 
and  half  an  inch  thick,  shaped  like  the  spirea,  and  covered 
with  bell-shaped  cups  of  ice,  which  sparkled  in  the  light 
very  vividly. 

I  returned  toward  the  rear  of  the  house,  and  on  my  way 
saw  some  of  their  implements ;  one  was  a  hoe,  its  blade 
triangular  shaped,  the  point  of  the  triangle  first  striking 
into  the  ground.  Another  implement  had  a  handle  of 
wood,  about  four  feet  long,  with  an  iron  sickle-shaped  blade 
at  one  end. 

I  passed  through  the  basement  of  the  house  out  in  front ; 
there  I  found  a  piazza,  about  sixteen  feet  wide,  leading  into 
a  wide  hall  running  through  the  house.  In  thi,s  hall  were 
two  flights  of  steps,  which  turned  and  united  in  one  near 
the  npper  landing ;  I  ascended  the  stairs,  and  found  why 
that  building  was  so  large  ;  its  second  floor  was  devoted  to 
the  pm-pose  of  holding  the  meetings  of  the  community.  I 
was  surprised  at  the  plainness  with  which  it  was  finished 
and  furnished.  Along  the  sides  of  the  room  were  raised 
seats,  and  extending  across  the  room  were  wooden  settees, 
or  long  chairs. 

At  one  end  of  the  room  was  a  platform,  raised  two  steps 
from  the  floor,  on  which,  behind  a  sort  of  pulpit,  the  pre- 
siding spirit  was  accustomed  to  sit.  On  each  side  of  that 
was  a  desk,  raised  one  step  above  the  floor.  It  was  very 
much  indeed^like  an  earthly  scene. 

Over  the  center  platform,  and  on  the  yellow  ground  of 
the  wall,  was  a  graceful  scroll,  on  which,  on  a  purple  ground 
sparkling  and  bright,  were  in  letters  of  gold  the  words, 
"  God  is  Love.'' 

Below  this  scroll  I  saw  something  which  so  much  sur- 

10 


14:6  SPIKITUALISM. 

prised  me  that  I  was  persuaded  it  must  be  my  imagination, 
and  I  said  so. 

Through  Dr.  Dexter  it  was  immediately  written :  "  If  this  is  your 
mind,  all  the  vision  is,  and  all  that  you  have  ever  heard.     Pshaw  !" 

"What  I  saw  there  was  my  own  private  seal  emblazoned  ; 
it  was  one  that  I.  had  very  lately  adopted  (within  a  week 
or  two).  It  was  a  shield,  having  on  its  face  a  naked  arm, 
with  a  ferule  in  it,  and  beneath  it  a  scroll  having  on  it  the 
words,  "  The  Truth  against  the  World." 

In  answer  to  a  question,  I  asked  whether  that  had  heen  put  there  he- 
fore  or  since  I  had  used  it  ?     It  was  said,  "  Before." 

I  then  left  that  building,  and  passed  down  the  path  more 
rapidly.  As  I  passed  the  house  where  I  had  seen  the 
stairway  in  the  rocks,  the  man  came  out  and  asked  me 
to  stop  there  the  next  time,  as  he  had  something  else  to 
show  me. 

We  arrived  at  the  balustrade  from  which  I  had  several 
times  descended,  and,  just  as  I  was  leaving,  my  wife  pressed 
her  lips  to  mine,  and  so  I  left. 


SPIEITUALISM, 


niim  Bine. 


Monday,  Septemhe'*-  12^,  1853. 
This  evening,  in  my  library,  the  Doctor  and  I  present,  i+,  was  written : 

Now  ask  your  questions,  as  I  don't  intend  to  write  much 
to-night.  Bacon. 

I  then  spoke  of  my  finding  my  seal^  on  that  wall,  and  said  it  was 
inexplicable  to  me ;  because  I  knew  I  had  not  owed  the  idea  to  any  in- 

*  To  understand  these  allusions,  I  ought  to  explain  what  my  seal  is,  and 
the  origin  of  it.  The  seal  itself  is  shown  in  the  vignette  on  the  title-page. 
The  origin  of  it  was  this  :  I  had  received  a  note  from  a  gentleman,  with  a 
seal,  containing  emblements  on  the  shield,  and  beneath  it  a  scroll  with  the 
words,  *'  The  Truth  against  the  World."  This  reminded  me  of  a  vision  I  once 
had,  and  I  immediately  formed  the  idea  of  making  a  seal  for  myself,  combin- 
ing that  vision  and  the  scroll. 

That  vision  is  recorded  in  my  notes  under  date  of  February  10,  1852,  in 
■*hese  words  : 

''  I  saw  a  naked  female  hand  and  arm  holding  toward  me  something  dark, 
like  a  ferule,  but  what  it  was  I  could  not  discover.  Nor  did  I  perceive  what 
was  intended  to  be  taught.  The  arm  and  hand  were  very  distinct  amid  the 
intense  black  darkness  which  enveloped  it." 

On  the  16th  of  February,  1852,  it  is  recorded  in  my  notes,  that  in  answer 
to  some  explanations  asked,  it  had  been  said : 

"  That  picture  represented  the  arm  of  Truth  thrust  through  the  blackness 
of  error,  and  seen  distinctly  amid  it ;  no  shade  from  the  error  even  coloring 
or  obscuring  the  clear  brightness  of  the  truth.  It  had  in  its  hand  a  mystery, 
dark-colored  to  be  sure,  but  differing  in  hue  from  the  blackness  of  error. 
That  mystery  was  yet  to  be  explained  to  me,  and  when  it  was,  I  must  cherish 
and  preserve  it  until  the  world  was  ready  to  receive  it,  and  then  give  it  to 
the  world.  The  arm  alone  appearing,  without  the  body  to  which  it  was  at- 
tached, was  intended  to  signify,  that  to  us  only  a  small  portion  of  truth— one 
only  of  its  members  had  as  yet  penetrated  the  blackness  of  the  error  which 
surrounds  mankind  in  their  present  condition.  At  both  ends  of  the  arm  there 
was  yet  room  for  investigation  ;  at  one  end  to  solve  the  mystery  contained  in 
the  hand,  and  at  the  other  to  develop  to  view  the  whole  form  and  body  of 
Truth  in  its  beauty  and  brightness." 


148 


S  P  I  E  I  T  TJ  A  L  I  S  M . 


ternal  promptings,  but  had  derived  it  from  the  seal  on  a  note  from  a  gen- 
tleman, which  I  had  lately  receivedj  and  from  that  and  a  vision  which  I 
had  had  long  ago,  I  had  made  it  up,  and  now  I  had  been  told  that  it  had 
been  placed  in  that  room  before  I  had  used  it.  I  asked  how  that  was  ? 
It  was  answered : 

Why,  as  soon  as  the  idea  was  embodied  by  you,  the  seal 
was  made  and  placed  there  before  yours  was  received 
from  the  engraver.  It  was  because  the  sentiment  and 
idea  were  worthy  being  put  in  a  conspicuous  place,  and 
also  because  of  the  affinities  existing  between  you  and  the 
spirit-world,  and  also  because  of  the  great  aid  rendered  us 
by  Mrs.  E. 

I  asked,  It  was  then  through  your  instrumentality  it  was  placed 
there  ? 

It  was  answered  : 

Dear  Judge,  you  are  surrounded  by  many  spirits  be- 
sides myself,  and  spirits  who  estimate  you  as  I  do. 

I  remarked  how  touching  the  incident  was,  and  how  the  hearts  of  my 
children  and  wife  must  swell  every  time  they  entered  that  hall  and  saw 
that  reminiscence  of  me  there  ! 

It  was  written : 

It  is,  indeed,  the  seal  of  their  mother's  virtues  and  their 
father's  faith  and  courage. 

I  then  remarked  that  every  time  I  had  entered  the  spirit-world,  I  had 
found  persons  and  things  in  the  precise  condition  in  which  I  had  left 
them  the  day  before.  If  it  was  a  picture  or  an  allegory  I  was  seeing,  I 
could  understand  how  this  could  be,  but  if  it  was  a  reality  I  did  not  see. 

It  was  written : 

Certainly  the  commencement  of  every  thing  is  arranged, 
and  the  circumstances  coming  afterward  are  entirely  natural 
in  their  occurrence.  You  will  understand  these  visions  are 
real  teachings,  intended  to  illustrate  certain  facts  in  rela- 
tion to  spirit-life,  and  consequently  we  arrange  the  prelim- 
inaries, and  let  the  after-facts  take  place  of  their  own  ac-  . 
cord. 

I  asked  some  questions  in  reference  to  something  I  had  seen. 


SPIKITUALISM.  149 

And  it  was  written : 

1^0  explanations  out  of  school.  Every  thing  will  be  ex- 
plained as  you  go  along. 

The  Doctor  asked  why  this  restriction  ? 
It  was  answered : 

I  can  tell  you,  Doctor ;  it  is  because  we  want  the  Judge's 
mind  to  be  free  entirely  in  regard  to  both  fact  and  its 
translation,  and  thus  that  every  thing  shall  explain  itself. 

I  remarked  that  he  had  said  something  just  now  about  courage  ?  It 
was  not  worth  talking  about,  for  every  thing  I  had  endured  and  dared 
had  been  more  than  paid  for  in  the  exquisite  happiness  I  enjoyed. 

It  was  written : 

"Well,  Judge,  you  and  I  and  the  Doctor  will  talk  this 
over  together  in  places  where  all  feeling  can  be  rightly 
estimated.  "We  won't  say  now  whether  it  be  true  courage 
to  brave  the  sneers,  the  contumely,  and  the  sarcasms  of  a 
prejudiced  world,  because  it  pays,  but  we  will  leave  that 
to  the  time,  when,  in  coin  that  passes  current  in  eternity, 
we  all  shall  be  paid  for  what  we  are,  not  for  what  we  have 
been. 

I  inquired  if  the  last  teaching  through  Mrs.  Sweet  and  others  of  that 
kind  were  allegories  or  the  reality  ? 
It  was  answered : 

Allegorical  teaching  is  one  of  the  most  pertinent  meth- 
ods of  illustrating  principles  by  spirits.  She  is  impressed 
by  the  spirit  who  acts  through  her. 

I  said  that  I  supposed  that  was  the  way  Bunyan  wrote  his  "  Pilgrim's 
Progress." 

He  assented,  and  added : 

At  least  I  suppose  so.  I  never  saw  Bunyan,  but  I  should 
like  to  see  him.  His  was  a  mind  which,  if  it  had  not  been 
bound  to  one  idea,  would  have  moved  the  world  in  another 
and  better  cause* 

I  said  I  wished  I  could  commune  with  Voltaire. 
He  answered : 


150  SPIRITUALISM. 

You  can  through  Mrs.  S.    Yoltaire  was  entu'ely  misun- 
derstood by  the  world  in  his  own  time  and  since. 

I  said  Yes,  and  that  had  heen  done  hy  the  priests. 
It  was  written : 

It  has  been  their  policy  to  fetter  mind  in  all  ages. 


Tuesday  J  Sept.  13,  1853. 

This  evening,  at  my  house,  the  circle  met.      Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  were 
absent,  and  two  gentlemen  from  Hudson  were  present. 
It  was  first  written : 

As  some  of  the  spirits  from  whom  the  teachings  through 
the  Doctor  are  derived  have  not  yet  arrived,  we  propose, 
first,  to  influence  you.  Judge,  if  you  are  willing. 

Bacon. 

I  expressed  my  assent,  and  after  remaining  silent  for  awhile,  I  re- 
marked that  there  was  so  much  to  see,  I  hardly  knew  where  to  begin. 
But,  I  said— ^ 

I  had  ascended  the  rising  ground  on  which  the  terraces 
were,  and  there  had  opened  to  my  view  the  most  magnifi- 
cent landscape  that  I  could  conceive  of.  An  immense  plain 
was  spread  out  before  me ;  and  far  in  the  distance,  dim,  and 
partly  indistinct,  was  an  immense  mountain,  from  whose 
summit,  which  towered  high  in  the  heavens,  there  shone  a 
most  brilliant  golden  light,  slightly  bronzed.  By  that 
light  I  saw  there  were  beyond  still  higher  prominences 
arising  one  above  another,  without  end,  until  they  faded 
from  view  in  the  immense  distance.  What  a  contrast  it 
was  to  the  scene  below  !     There  the  inhabitants  occupied 


*  SPIRITUALISM.  15X 

solitary  eminences,  beyond  which  there  was  no  ascension. 
Here  it  was  progression  onward,  upward,  as  far  as  the  im- 
agination could  reach. 

Between  me  and  that  shining  mountain  a  wide  scene  was 
spread  out  which  seemed  to  be  one  vast  garden.  I  could 
give  no  description  of  the  gorgeousness  of  its  appearance, 
of  its  light,  of  its  rivers,  its  groves,  its  cultivation.  I  saw 
occasionally,  oif  at  my  left,  which  was  spread  out  a  little 
below  (while  at  my  right  the  ground  gently  ascended), 
single  hills,  and  elevations,  lakes,  and  ponds  of  water. 
Among  other  things  I  noticed  a  huge,  beetling,  and  rugged 
rock  standing  up  high  in  the  scene.  "What  that  meant,  I 
could  not  say. 

I  was  accompanied  in  my  ascent  up  the  path  by  my 
former  companions,  and  by  an  elderly  gentleman  in  the 
garb  of  a  farmer,  who  rode  a  sleek,  fat,  and  very  lazy 
horse,  and  was  followed  by  a  dog  equally  in  good  condi- 
tion and  lazy. 

When  I  had  surmounted  the  rise,  and  came  in  view  of 
the  scene  which  opened  to  my  view,  I  knew  not  where 
to  look  first,  or  what  to  describe,  there  was  so  much  be- 
fore me. 

I  noticed  however,  in  particular,  as  I  walked  along  the 
path,  which  was  here  spread  out  wide,  and  was  very  smooth 
and  even,  a  house  on  my  right  hand  of  two  stories  high, 
with  piazza  in  front  of  both  stories.  The  grounds  around 
it  were  very  beautiful.  In  them  and  on  the  lower  piazza 
a  few  persons  were  assembled,  but  on  the  upper  piazza 
were  twenty  or  thirty,  principally,  if  not  all,  females,  very 
gorgeously  dressed  in  many  colors.  They  leaned  over  to- 
ward me,  as  I  approached,  and  waved  their  handkerchiefs, 
as  if  in  welcome.  It  was  a  beautiful  sight,  and  was  ren- 
dered the  more  so  by  the  evident  joy  and  happiness  there 
was  among  them. 

They  wished  me  to  ascend  to  their  elevation,  and  from 
that  position  to  take  a  view  of  the  country.  I  wanted  much 
to  do  so ;  but  I  saw  ahead  of  me,  a  short  distance,  quite  a 


152  SPIKITUALISM. 

large  concourse,  who  were  evidently  awaiting  me,  and  I 
did  not  venture  to  stop. 

As  I  approached  the  group,  I  noticed  the  place  where 
thej  were  assembled  as  peculiar.  The  path  in  which  I  was 
moving  led  directly  up  to  a  large  fountain,  which  threw  its 
jets  high  up  into  the  air,  and  fell  back  into  a  basin  of  some 
forty  or  fifty  feet  diameter.  There  was  a  center  jet,  with 
several  smaller  ones  surrounding  it,  and  occasionally  there 
shot  out  from  the  stream  a  jet  that  mounted  into  the  air 
like  a  rocket,  and  then  turned  into  vapor,  giving  a  cool  and. 
soft  feeling  to  the  atmosphere,  and  not  returning  to  the 
earth  in  drops.  A  very  clear,  silver  light  shone  on  the 
fountain,  and  caused  it  to  sparkle  like  a  mound  of  dia- 
monds. The  basin  was  filled  with  many  colored  fishes, 
and  with  aquatic  birds  of  various  sizes  and  plumage,  and  it 
was  surrounded  by  a  narrow  border  of  close-shaven  grass. 
The  path  wound  around  both  sides  of  the  fountain,  and 
trended  into  the  country  beyond,  holding  the  same  width. 

In  this  circular  path,  and  between  me  and  the  fountain, 
that  assemblage  stood.  They  were  variously  and  beauti- 
fully dressed,  and  in  front  of  them,  toward  me,  three  spirits 
were  standing.  The  center  one  was  tall  and  majestic, 
clothed  simply  in  loose,  white  garments,  extending  to  his 
feet,  and  holding  under  his  left  arm  a  book.  His  appear- 
ance and  manner,  and  the  expression  of  his  countenance 
approached  nearer  to  my  ideas  of  Jesus  of  E"azareth  than 
any  delineation  of  him  I  ever  had  seen,  but  I  ascertained  at 
once  that  it  was  not  him,  but  the  presiding  spirit  of  that 
community. 

My  companions  and  myself,  as  we  approached  him, 
were  filled  with  emotions  of  love,  of  reverence,  and  of  awe 
that  would  not  let  us  speak.  The  spirits  which  stood,  one 
on  each  side  of  him,  wore  mantles  of  dark-blue  velvet,  and 
on  their  heads  chaplets,  which  were  badges  of  office.  I 
can  not  describe  the  countenance  of  that  presiding  spirit ; 
he  seemed  to  be  filled  to  overflowing  with  happiness ;  he 
was  of  large,  capacious  mind,  and  full  of  love  to  all  around 


SPIEITUALISM.  153 

him.     There  was  a  solemn  stillness  brooding  over  all  the 
scene  that  seemed  to  hush  even  the  pulse's  beat. 

There  were  conflicting  feelings  awakened  in  me :  one 
prompted  me  to  fall  down  and  worship  him  ;  and  the  other 
repressed  that,  and  told  me  he  was  a  man  as  I  was,  and 
asked,  Why  can  not  you  be  like  him  ? 

When  I  arrived  within  a  few  paces  of  him  he  took  the 
book  from  under  his  arm,  and  with  outstretched  hand 
pointed  me  to  the  heavens  off  at  his  left.  And  there,  amid 
the  hush  of  that  scene,  amid  its  glorious  beauty,  its  soft 
and  gentle  light,  and  its  balmy  air,  high  up  in  the  heav- 
ens, and  far  distant,  I  saw  the  cross  of  our  Kedeemer  paint- 
ed. Kough  and  unhewn  itself,  it  was  surrounded  by  a 
halo  of  golden  light,  and  on  one  of  its  arms  a  majestic 
spirit,  clad  in  dark-colored  and  rich  garments,  stood  lean- 
ing.  High  over  it  all  flashed,  in  rays  of  sparkling  silver 
light,  "God  is  Love."  Directly  over  the  summit  of  the 
cross  was  a  scroll  which  seemed  to  spread  abroad  a  feeling 
of  solemn  awe.  On  it  was  inscribed  "  He  saved  mankind 
BY  LIVING,  NOT  BY  DYING."  Bclow  the  trausvcrsc  piece 
was  a  small  scroll,  on  which  was  written,  "Do  thou  like- 
wise." 

And  then,  amid  the  awful  stillness  of  that  scene,  and  its 
solemn  impress,  the  picture  faded  slowly  away,  leaving  be- 
hind it  a  lesson  oh !  how  full  of  nature  and  of  truth  ! 

I  perceived  that  none  of  those  present,  except  that  pre- 
siding spirit  and  myself,  saw  the  picture — why,  I  could  not 
tell,  but  I  supposed  the  reason  was  that  it  was  intended 
mainly  for  earthly  man  through  me. 

After  that  had  passed  away,  I  had  an  opportunity  to  look 
around  and  examine  some  portions  of  the  scene.  Off  to 
my  right  I  saw  a  large  building  built  of  yellow  stone,  three 
or  four  stories  high,  and  with  five  gables  fronting  the  path,  of 
different  sizes,  and  of  (Jothic  construction.  The  whole  ex- 
terior was  severely  simple,  though  justly  proportioned  and 
elegant.  It  was  situated  on  ground  that  was  a  little  ele- 
vated from  the  path,  and  some  distance  back  from  it.     It 


154:  SPIRITUALISM. 

was  approached  by  a  path,  on  each  side  of  which  were 
flower-beds  and  fountains,  the  great  body  of  the  lawn  in 
front  being  covered  with  a  dense  shrubbery,  growing  irreg- 
ularly, and  full  of  flowers.  I  found  it  was  their  instruction 
hall,  in  which  they  had  lectures,  and  where  were  deposited 
their  books,  their  philosophical  apparatus,  their  collections 
of  natural  history,  etc.,  etc. 

I  observed  that  its  entrance  was  by  a  flight  of  steps,  lead- 
ing into  a  wide  and  stately  hall  extending  through  the 
building.  The  gables  projected  from  the  main  body  of  the 
building  a  short  distance,  and  the  door-way  in  the  central 
gable  was  chastely  yet  richly  ornamented  with  carved  col- 
umns and  arches. 

I  observed,  also,  that  the  spirits  who  formed  that  assem- 
blage entertained  the  same  feelings  apparent  in  others — 
love  and  admiration,  namely,  at  the  strength  of  that  af- 
fection which  had  worked  the  strange  phenomenon  of 
bringing  among  them  a  mortal  yet  in  the  flesh. 

I  observed  that  their  garments  were  very  alike  in  form 
and  fashion,  being  the  same  I  have  so  often  described,  but 
varied  in  color — some  light  and  some  dark — not  somber, 
but  rich.  They  were  of  diff'erent  shades  of  blue  and  red 
and  yellow,  and  presented  altogether  an  appearance  that 
would  dazzle  our  vision  here  by  its  brightness. 

I  saw  also  many  women  in  the  crowd,  and  some  few  of 
them  held  little  children  by  the  hand,  who  nestled  close 
to  their  sides,  seemingly  full  of  wonder  at  the  scene.  The 
females  were  standing  in  various  positions  of  affection  to- 
ward each  other,  some  leaning  on  each  other's  shoulder, 
some  with  their  arms  around  their  waists,  etc. 

I  saw  approaching  toward  us  from  the  right  a  very  old 
and  decrepit  woman,  bent  over  and  feeble  with  age.  She 
had  on  a  common  calico  frock,  and  the  dress  of  one  in  lim- 
ited circumstances  on  earth.  The  old  man  who  was  attach- 
ed to  my  family  instantly  recognized  her  as  his  grand- 
mother, who  had  died  when  he  was  a  child,  and  who  now 
assumed  that  appearance,  in  order  to  make  herself  known 


SPIEITIJALISM.  155 

to  him.  He  stepped  forward  toward  her,  with  a  sense  of 
duty  that  it  was  to  her,  rather  than  to  my  family,  that  he 
owed  his  services.  As  he  approached  her,  she  changed  to 
a  tall  and  beautiful  spirit,  clad  all  in  white,  and  with  a 
very  intellectual  and  lofty  expression  of  countenance,  and 
with  her  right  hand  she  pointed  him  to  that  burning  mount- 
ain high  in  the  distance,  and  said  to  him,  "  Onward."  And 
she  told  him  his  services  were  already  properly  dedicated, 
and  to  make  no  alteration.  Around  her  I  observed  that 
cloudy  gauze-like  garment  of  blue  which  I  had  seen  around 
others,  and  learned  that  she  was  severely  just  to  herself. 

While  noticing  these  things,  a  party  approached  from 
the  west  on  horseback.  It  consisted  of  twenty  or  thirty 
persons  of  both  sexes,  and  they  were  superbly  mounted. 
I  noticed  particularly  a  jet-black  pacer  ridden  by  a  female. 
He  was  a  superb  animal.  They  came  from  a  distant  com- 
munity to  invite  me  to  visit  them. 

The  presiding  spirit  called  my  attention  to  the  shining 
mountain,  and  I  saw  that  its  summit  was  approached  by  a 
broad,  winding  stairway,  with  heavy  balustrades  and  nu- 
merous landing-places,  and  terminated  at  the  summit  under 
an  arch,  through  which  streamed  that  golden  light,  casting 
its  rays  far  down  the  mountain,  lighting  up  the  stairway 
to  my  vision,  and  throwing  its  reflection  of  golden  and 
crimson  light  upon  houses  and  land  and  water,  and  beau- 
tifying the  scene  wonderfully.  And  he  told  me  that  light 
was  the  product  of  the  concentrated  love  of  all  the  inhab- 
itants, which  thus  shed  abroad,  upon  all  that  surrounded 
it,  its  warm  and  grateful  influence.  I  saw  birds  of  song 
and  of  gay  plumage  flying  into  its  rays,  as  they  shot  forth 
in  various  directions,  and  the  animals  confined  to  the  lower 
plane  sought  the  spot  where  it  struck,  that  they  might 
bask  in  it.  Elephants  and  lions  and  other  wild  animals  I 
thus  saw,  but  they  were  savage  no  longer  under  its  mild 
influence.  I  even  saw  the  crocodiJ?e  crawl  from  his  watery 
bed,  and  as  he  reached  the  light  his  dingy  somber  hue 
changed  to  a  lively  green. 


156  I  SPIRITUALISM. 

In  the  distance  I  saw  a  body  of  water,  w^hicli  seemed 
to  be  the  end  of  a  lake  or  large  inland  sea.  On  it  were 
vessels  with  sails,  most  of  them  small,  as  if  chiefly  for 
pleasure,  and  one  large  steamboat,  as  large  as  one  of  our 
sea  steamers.  From  all  this  I  inferred  that  this  was  a  bay 
only  of  a  large  inland  sea  which  was  hidden  from  me  by 
the  intermediate  land. 

And  I  saw,  too,  rivers  meandering  through  the  country, 
on  which  vessels  were  plying  and  over  which  bridges 
spanned,  and  lakes  of  various  sizes  in  different  parts  of 
the  country. 

It  was  indeed  a  beautiful  country  to  live  in,  amid  its 
soft  and  grateful  air,  and  its  glowing  but  mild  light. 

I  was,  however,  obliged  to  leave  it,  for  my  time  was  up, 
and  I  returned  to  earth. 

Then  came  the  teaching  through  the  Doctor,  and  it  was  written : 

We  have  now  traced  creation  in  the  whole,  from  the 
time  when  all  was  darkness  and  chaos  to  the  time  when, 
fashioned  according  to  certain  laws,  the  whole  of  this  vast 
assemblage  of  globes  and  planets  and  worlds  were  mar- 
shaled in  their  several  positions  and  confined  to  certain 
limits,  where  they  have  rolled  their  ceaseless  way  ever 
since. 

But  let  us  trace  still  farther  in  detail  the  progressive  de- 
velopment of  earth  and  the  spheres  above,  and  explain  by 
what  process  these  mighty  events  took  place. 

The  thousand  orbs  which  traverse  the  vast  space  as- 
signed them,  and  which  show  forth  the  might  and  glory 
of  their  Creator,  were  created  from  the  smallest  atomic 
particles  the  human  mind  can  imagine.  When  the  whole 
immense  space  now  occupied  by  them  lay  silent,  dark, 
and  in  almost  eternal  solitude,  these  principles  which  now 
develop  life,  and  w^hich  now  generate  matter  in  its  in- 
finite variety  of  form  and  substance  were  dormant,  for  de- 
velopment had  not  brought  their  several  causes  to  that 
point  where  action  could  possibly  take  place.     This  part 


.SPIRITUALISM.  157 

of  creation  was  indeed  a  blank,  but  when  this  point  was 
reached  then,  as  before  mentioned,  the  first  evidence  of 
progression  was  motion.  Then  that  subtile  agent,  that 
which  neither  spirits  nor  man  yet  understand,  first  exerted 
its  almost  omnipotent  forces,  and  these  particles  were 
drawn  toward  each  other,  thus  forming  large  bodies,  and 
thus  instituting  motion.  But  if  we  carefully  watch  this 
process,  we  observe  that  when  two  of  these  minute  atoms 
were  joined  together,  the  attractive  force  of  the  twain  was 
in  the  ratio  of  their  size,  and  also  that  their  momentum 
was  increased  by  the  same  cause. 

]^ow,  when  this  is  understood,  we  are  struck  with  the 
harmony  which  prevails  under  this  law,  which  is  every- 
where observable  in  every  department  of  creation  to  which 
man's  mind  can  have  access.  When,  therefore,  the  power 
was  increased  by  the  union  of  two  particles,  it  gave  addi- 
tional attraction  to  draw  toward  the  two  in  one,  another 
body,  and  as  the  motion  increased  its  circulation  was  over 
a  wide  portion  of  space.  As  the  particles  by  this  union  in- 
creased in  size  and  motion,  some  being  above  and  others 
below,  there  was  of  necessity  in  situation,  a  separation,  as 
it  were,  of  the  limits  of  their  action ;  thus  when  the  cen- 
tral body,  w^hich  is  the  nucleus  of  the  orb  or  globe,  re- 
volved in  a  certain  part  of  this  space,  its  attractive  force 
could  only  extend  so  far  as  its  momentum  permitted  it  to 
go,  and  by  this  means  it  left  to  the  influence  of  the  same 
law,  the  other  nuclea  in  other  parts  of  space.  But  as  the 
atoms  were  attracted  to  the  nucleus,  and  were  united  with 
it,  they  abstracted  from  the  void  around  certain  properties 
which  formed  their  constituents,  and  left  the  space  a  new 
media  or  a  new  development.  It  is  undoubtedly  from  this 
cause  that  the  atmosphere  surrounding  the  planets,  stars, 
and  other  bodies  was  formed.  ISTow  these  bodies,  increas- 
ing in  size  and  velocity,  developed  new  properties  in  them- 
selves, and  when  they  had  attained  that  size  that  their 
friction  was  violent  and  rapid  against  the  atmosphere, 
generated  as  I  have  described,  the  heavy,  thick  gases  of 


168  SPIEITUALISM. 

which  they  were  constituted  ignited  with  this  friction, 
and  thus  a  new  process  of  development  took  place.  The 
result  of  the  combustion  of  these  gases  developed  dense 
matter,  and  this  dense  matter  now  being  acted  upon  by 
the  atmosphere,  again  developed  new  properties  in  that. 
But  it  must  be  understood  that  the  density  of  the  matter 
increased  its  ability  to  extract  from  the  atomic  particles, 
even  now  as  ever  floating  in  space,  a  greater  number,  thus 
surrounding  the  dense  center  with  a  cloudy  halo ;  and 
when,  by  the  force  of  its  momentum,  these  additions  were 
ignited,  it  gave  to  the  whole  of  the  thousand  worlds,  thus 
floating  in  space,  the  appearance  of  comets.  The  revolu- 
tion and  onward  motion  acting  upon  the  atmosphere  caused 
the  gases  to  trail  behind,  thus  giving  to  their  aspect  the 
tails  with  which  comets  are  usually  connected.  Every  ad- 
dition generated  new  properties,  and  these  new  properties 
others  ;  and  when  the  operations  of  these  generic  laws  are 
exhausted  in  the  matter  found  in  the  orbits  in  which  they 
are  nursed,  a  new  change  takes  place,  which  we  will  de- 
scribe at  our  next  meeting. 


SPIEITITALISM.  159 


Sutiflji  €U\itn, 


Thursday^  Sept.  15th,  1853. 
This  evening,  at  Dr.  Dexter' s,  the  circle  met,  and  it  was  written : 

I  AM  not  going  to  detain  you  long  to-night.  The  absence 
of  some  of  the  members  of  the  circle  has  interrupted  our 
plans,  and  we  shall  more  fully  carry  them  out  when  we 
are  all  together.  As  so  much  has  been  written  and  re- 
vealed, would  it  not  be  best  to  converse  about  it  for  awhile, 
before  we  begin  to  write  about  our  proper  subject? 

Bacon. 

Mr.  Warren  then  remarked  about  the  effect  of  their  teachings  the  other 
night,  as  to  the  collection  of  matter  from  space,  that  it  would  destroy  the 
equilibrium. 

It  was  answered : 

'No ;  if  you  examine  the  remark  to  which  you  refer,  you 
will  find  you  are  mistaken.  I  said  the  gases  when  ignited, 
by  the  velocity  with  which  the  body  moved,  left  a  trail  like 
a  comet  by  the  force  with  which  it  came  against  the  atmos- 
phere. 

If  the  matter  were  equally  difi'used  there  could  not  be 
any  confusion.  There  was  no  new  matter  created,  only  the 
various  development  of  what  already  had  existence. 

Mr.  Warren,  you  might  as  well  say  that  there  must  be  a 
want  of  equilibrium  in  the  case  of  a  desert,  because  one 
part  of  the  same  surface  is  covered  with  forests,  and  on  the 
desert  there  is  none.  IjTow,  how  do  you  account  for  the 
clearing  of  half  a  hemisphere  of  its  wood  and  dense  forests 
if  the  removal  of  matter  would  cause  any  confusion  in  the 
motion  of  this  world  ?     You  should  make  good  the  de- 


160  SPIEITUALISM. 

ficiency  by  adding  to  it  the  vegetable  development  in  some 
other  part  off  the  world. 

No.  Matter  existed.  AiM  if  yon  were  able  to  explore 
the  other  systems,  revolving  around  a  central  point,  you 
would  see  that  their  geological  formation  exhibits  ages  on 
ages  of  maturity,  beyond  this  world,  or  any  of  the  other 
bodies  created  at  the  same  time.  The  center  is  maintained 
by  that  attractive  force  which  equally  balances  every  part. 

One  great  virtue  inculcated  by  God,  his  developments 
in  nature,  and  the  spirit  too,  is  patience.  Imagine  how 
long  the  Almighty  must  have  w.aited  to  see  the  fruits  of  his 
laws  executed  in  every  department  of  creation,  and  imagine 
how  much  it  retards  our  manifestation  in  the  intensity  of 
its  action,  in  the  nature  of  the  communication,  and  in  the 
thought  communicated,  when  by  any  cause  the  circle  is  in 
any  way  either  disturbed  or  deranged. 

Then  after  saying  considerable  as  to  the  irregularity  of  the  attendance 
at  our  circle,  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  insert,  it  was  added : 

I  can  not  permit  the  opportunity  to  pass  without  saying, 
that  our  teachings  may  not  conform  to  the  received  notions 
of  earthly  science  in  every  particular,  but  we  give  you 
what  we  have  learnt  and  our  opinions  thereon,  and  you 
must  take  them  for  what  they  are  worth. 

I,  then,  giving  myself  up  to  the  influence,  saw  as  follows : 
>  VISION. 

I  was  passing  up  the  same  path  to  the  group  of  spirits 
near  the  fountain,  and  when  I  arrived  there  I  was  accom- 
panied by  that  presiding  spirit,  and  some  others,  to  a  man- 
sion at  a  short  distance  on  the  right  side  of  the  path.  It 
was  a  brown  house,  two  stories  high,  with  a  piazza  in  front, 
the  precise  picture  of  the  house  in  the  country  which  I  oc- 
cupied when  my  wife  died.  On  ascending  the  piazza,  I  ap- 
proached a  window  which  opened  to  the  floor,  and  there  I 
saw  the  same  room,  with  the  same  farniture,  and  placed  in 
the  same  position,  as  when  she  breathed  her  last.     It  had 


SPIEITTIALISM.  161 

thus  been  arranged  by  her,  as  a  reminiscence  of  earthly  life, 
and  she  stood  by  my  side  as  I  was  looking  at  it,  carefully 
watching  its  effect  on  me,  no^  without  some  apprehension 
as  to  what  it  might  be ;  I  carefully  suppressed  all  signs  of 
emotion,  and  calmly  beheld  the  scene,  and  there  and  then 
was  presented  to  me  the  picture  of  her  death — not  its  mor- 
tal, but  its  spiritual  aspect.*  There  was  no  group  of  mourn- 
ers around  the  bed.  The  room  was  vacant  of  mortals  ;  but 
floating  in  the  air,  over  the  bed  in  which  the  body  lay, 
were  two  bright  spirits,  apparently  young.  They  were  our 
two  children.  Her  spiritual  body  was  also  floating  in  the 
air  directly  under  them.  It  was  evidently  unconscious 
when  I  first  saw  it.  At  length  she  opened  her  eyes,  and 
extended  her  arms  toward  her  two  children.  At  the  same 
time,  she  felt  the  strong  attraction  of  the  love  she  bore  to 
those  she  had  left  behind.  She  turned  to  look  at  them.  They 
were  in  another  room  in  the  house,  yet  she  saw  them.  She 
seemed  somewhat  bewildered.  She  was  aware  she  had  died, 
yet  the  scene  around  was  precisely  the  same  to  which  she 
had  been  accustomed.  Death  was  so  diflferent  from  what 
she  had  supposed  it  to  be !  It  was  but  a  continuance  of 
life.  She  saw  ouf  sorrow.  She  was  reluctant  to  leave  us, 
and  wanted  to  return  to  comfort  us,  yet  she  felt  attracted 
upward.  She  arose  to  an  erect  posture,  and  felt  so  buoyant 
as  if  she  could  not  help  rising.  She  saw  other  spirits  in 
the  distance,  some  of  them  her  old  acquaintances  on  earth. 
As  she  arose  she  saw,  opening  to  her  view,  a  ve^^  glorious 
country,  and  she  was  accompanied  by  a  great  number  of 
spirits,  who  were  rejoicing  at  her  advent.  Among  them 
were  spirits  from  other  planets,  some  from  Mars  in  particu- 
lar. It  was  a  very  joyous  welcome  they  gave  her.  Still 
she  thought  of  those  she  had  lieft  behind,  and  often  turned 
her  looks  back  to  them,  while  borne  aloft  in  the  arms  of 
her  children,  and  welcomed  by  glad  shouts  all  around  her. 
And  as  the  scene  passed  from  my  view,  the  spirits  who 


See  Appendix  B. 
11 


162  SPIPwITUALISM. 

surrounded  me,  said  to  me,  "Such  is  the  death  of  the  pure 
and  the  good,  who  have  subdued  all  sellishness,  and  culti- 
vated a  love  for  others."        • 

The  awakening  of  the  spirit  to  consciousness  must  have 
been  some  time  after  the  breath  had  left  her,  for  her  body 
had  been  laid  out  in  its  grave-clothes,  and  the  room  was 
alone. 

At  the  end  of  the  house,  next  that  room,  I  saw  the  same 
garden  which  she  and  I  had  so  much  enjoyed  during  the 
last  summer  of  her  life  here.  Besides,  however,  its  walks, 
and  bowers,  and  beds  of  flowers,  it  was  covered  with  large 
trees,  beneath  whose  shades  the  plants  grew  apparently 
uninjured  by  it,  and  beyond  it  was  a  dense  grove  of  trees. 
I  saw  also  another  addition,  and  that  was  a  statute  as  large 
as  life  of  "  the  Guardian  Angel,"  like  that  which  now  orna- 
ments one  of  my  bookcases,  and  has  so  often  reminded  me 
of  her.  It  stood  in  the  midst  of  the  circular  bed,  and 
around  it  was  my  frame  for  the  cypress  vine,  covered  pro- 
fusely with  leaves  and  flowers,  through  which  the  statue 
was  seen. 

So,  too,  the  piazza  was  a  little  different  from  ours.  The 
green  blinds,  which  with  us  excluded  the  afternoon  sun, 
were  removed,  and  the  scene  on  which  I  looked  was  not 
the  Hudson  Eiver  and  the  Palisades  as  it  had  been  here, 
but  was  the  glorious  spirit-country,  with  its  infinite  va- 
riety of  beauty  ;  and  directly  in  front  of  us  was  a  group  of 
spirits  very  harmonious,  beautiful,  and  happy.  In  the  dis- 
tance, and  prominent  to  view,  was  that  jagged  rock,  w^hose 
meaning  I  do  not  yet  understand. 

Some  of  the  spirits  were  examining  the  flowers  in  the 
front  garden,  some  in  groups  conversing,  and  all  were  so 
joyous.  In  one  corner  of  the  garden  was  a  statue  of  Peni- 
tence, with  its  hands  and  head  bowed  in  deep  humiliation. 
In  the  other  a  statue  of  Hope,  with  its  hands  clasped  in 
front,  and  its  looks  elevated  upward.  The  yard  in  front 
was  small.  I  was  surprised  at  that,  and  thought  it  argued 
want  of  taste.     Off  at  the  right  was  a  dense  wood,  stand- 


SPIRITUALISM.  163 

ing  on  the  brow  and  side  of  a  deep  declivity,  and  amid  its 
foliage  I  saw  the  same  arbor  which  she  and  I  so  well  re- 
membered here.  * 

It  seemed  that  she  had  taken  great  pains  to  recall  many  of 
the  scenes  and  things  of  earth  which  were  associated  with 
me  and  with  pleasing  remembrances  ;  even  her  old  rocking- 
chair,  in  w^iich  she  had  nursed  all  our  children,  and  whose 
screaking  they  yet  remember  so  well,  and  her  work-table, 
which  was  one  of  the  first  articles  of  furniture  I  ever  got  her. 
Seeing  me  smile  while  I  looked  at  them,  she  affectionately 
took  my  arm  in  both  her  hands,  and  whispered  in  my  ear, 
"  It's  good  yet,"  thus  alluding  to  an  anecdote  which  often 
amused  us  almost  from  our  first  acquaintance. 

So  she  called  my  attention  to  my  military  sash,  gloves, 
and  spurs,  which  she  had  hanging  by  the  head  of  her  bed, 
thus  recalling  scenes  of  my  young  days,  in  which  we  both 
then  took  great  pleasure. 

Thus  I  found  myself  surrounded  with  pleasant  reminis- 
cences of  scenes  and  events  which  had  occurred  at  different 
places,  and  during  a  period  of  thirty  years  that  we  were 
united  here. 

While  I  was  looking  at  these  things,  a  carriage  and  four 
horses  drove  up  ;  they  immediately  attracted  my  attention, 
for  one  of  my  youthful  follies  had  been  a  great  penchant 
for  driving  tandem  and  foui^-in-hand ;  and  she,  whose  girl- 
hood had  been  accustomed  to  the  quiet,  sober  driving  of 
her  Quaker  father,  had  soon  learned  to  dash  "  fast  and 
furiously"  through  the  country  with  me.  It  was  a  beautiful 
turn-out.  The  carriage  was  light  and  tastj'^,  with  a  high 
seat  for  the  driver,  and  one  seat  behind  for  two  persons. 
It  was  painted  yellow,  and  on  its  panels  was  my  seal !  Tlie 
harness  was  light  and  airy,  and  the  horses  were  superb 
animals,  of  the  true  Arabian  breed,  with  long,  sleek  bodies, 
clean  limbs,  and  a  springing  motion  to  every  step.  They 
were  well  groomed,  high-spirited,  and  well  broke,  and  of 
different  colors,  being  matched  rather  for  quality  than 
looks. 


164:  SPIEITUALISM. 

The  presiding  spirit  and  mj  wife  entered  th^  carriage, 
while  I  ascended  the  driver's  seat  and  took  the  reins  from 
the  coachman. 

We  started  for  a  ride.  We  descended  a  hill  and  crossed 
a  bridge,  driving  westerly  toward  the  shining  mountain. 
It  was  very  exhilarating:  the  jingle  of  the  harness,  the 
rattling  of  the  wheels,  the  clear,  ringing  tread  of  the  horses, 
as  we  sped  rapidly  along,  reminded  me  of  many  a  yonthfal 
frolic ;  but  here  the  pleasure  was  much  enhanced  by  the 
beautiful  country  through  which  we  were  passing,  and  the 
many  and  delightful  residences  that  lined  both  sides  of  the 
way,  as  also  by  the  thoughts  which  the  scene  and  the  asso- 
ciations suggested. 

As  we  passed  rapidly  along,  I  ever  and  anon  turned  to 
speak  to  my  companions  of  the  beauties  around  me ;  and 
he  who  sat  beside  my  wife  seemed  a  little  uneasy,  as  if  I 
was  not  attending  as  I  should  to  my  driving.  My  wife  re- 
assured him,  and  told  him  she  was  used  to  it,  and  he  might 
rely  upon,  it,  that  I  was  at  home  where  I  was,  and  knew 
what  I  was  about. 

And  now,  how  can  I  describe  the  scene  through  which 
we  passed?  It  seemed  almost  an  earthly  one,  but  more 
sublimated,  more  refined,  more  beautiful  and  joyous,  and 
so  free ;  no  trammels  of  conventionalism  to  mar  the  enjoy- 
ment. It  was  a  beautiful  landscape,  interspersed  with 
cottages  and  gardens,  which  had  in  very  many  instances 
carried  out  the  idea  of  recalling  earthly  scenes.  Thus 
there  was  the  farm-house,  the  log-hut,  the  stately  palace, 
the  little  garden,  and  the  wide-sweeping  lawn,  the  water- 
fall and  the  quiet  pond,  the  towering  forest  and  the  lowlv 
shrub,  the  smooth  grass,  and  the  beds  of  flowers — all,  as 
each  one's  propensity  dictated,  but  rendering  the  tout  en- 
semble infinitely  various  and  charming. 

Off  at  our  left,  I  saw,  surrounded  by  ragged  rocks,  a 
great  spring  of  water,  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  diameter,  in 
which  the  water  was  not  merely  w^elling,  but  boiling  up. 
Its  main  outlet  was  westerly,  where  it  tumbled  down  the 


SPIRITUALISM.  165 

bank  amid  the  rocks,  and  covered  by  overhanging  bushes, 
amid  whose  dark  shade  it  roared  and  gamboled  along, 
giving  great  joyoiisness  to  the  scene. 

A  small  portion  of  the  water  escaped  on  the  east  side  of 
the  spring,  and  found  its  way  down  behind  a  log-hut, 
meandering  quietly  among  the  fields.  It  was  crossed  by  a 
single  slab,  cut  rudely  out  of  a  log,  and  its  banks  were 
lined  with  flowering  shrubs  and  plahts. 

In  the  distance  1  saw  some  very  stately  mansions ;  one 
w^as  castellated  and  spacious.  It  was  surrounded  by  a 
large  park,  and  was  approached  by  a  smooth  road,  which 
wound  around  pleasantly  among  the  trees.  It  was  built 
on  an  eminence,  at  the  bottom  of  which  the  outlet  of  the 
spring  passed,  and  was  here  dammed  up  so  as  to  rnake  a 
large  pond  and  a  water-fall.  The  lawn  was  clean  and 
close-shaven,  and  descended  to  the  water's  edge ;  and  all 
around  it  were  cottages,  retired  and  beautiful. 

And  I  observed  that  though  some  of  the  grounds  were 
fenced  by  rows  of  trees  and  bushes,  there  were  always 
openings  left  for  a  free  passage  in  all  directions  and  through 
all  parts. 

As  I  drove  along  I  came  to  quite  a  steep  hill,  which  re 
quired  some  skill  to  descend.  As  we  came  to  the  bottom 
I  let  the  horses  out  into  a  rapid  gait ;  one  of  the  leaders 
broke  into  a  canter,  and  we  sped  swiftly  and  merrily  along 
a  level  piece  of  road,  on  both  sides  of  which  a  stream  ot 
water  ran  over  a  clear,  gravelly  bottom.  On  one  side  of  the 
road  was  a  row  of  trees  like  the  weeping  willow,  but  bear- 
ing a  great  abundance  of  light-purple  flowers,  six  or  eight 
inches  long,  interspersed  with  a  pineapple-shaped  cluster 
of  crimson  flowers.  After  a  while  the  stream  on  the  right 
crossed  the  road  and  united  with  the  other  and  turned  off, 
wandering  through  the  fields  till  it  was  lost  to  my  view. 
Here  I  saw  a  Yirginia  rail-fence,  on  what  seemed  to  be  a 
farm,  in  whose  pastures  sheep  and  cows  and  horses  were 
feeding.  I  noticed  particularly  a  mare,  with  a  colt  by  her 
side ;  she  was  a  beautiful  animal.     As  she  raised  her  head 


166  SPIRITUALISM. 

to  look  at  us,  her  thick,  long  mane  and  tail  blew  forward, 
and  her  whole  form  and  attitude  were  very  graceful ;  she 
was  a  bright  bay,  with  some  white  on  the  nose,  with  two 
white  feet,  and  with  white  spots  on  her  breast  and  flank. 
Beyond  these  pastures  was  a  farm-house,  with  no  trees 
near  it.  It  was  situated  upon  a  little  knoll,  and  was  sur- 
rounded by  fields  of  grain,  farming  utensils,  and  out-houses. 
I  saw  men  at  work,  apparently  unloading  hay  into  one  of 
the  barns. 

After  passing  that  place,  we  ascended  a  gentle  rise  in  the 
road,  and  came  to  a  house  by  the  wayside,  which  seemed 
like  an  inn,  but  was  certainly  a  common  stopping-place. 
The  man  who  lived  there,  his  wife  and  two  daughters, 
came  to  the  door ;  and  here  again  was  manifested  the  same 
emotions  I  have  so  often  witnessed. 

They  who  sat  in  the  carriage  talked  with  them  a  mo- 
ment, but  my  attention  was  occupied  with  a  stately  build- 
ing that  stood  near.  It  seemed  to  be  a  church,  and  pre- 
sented its  Gothic  gable,  in  which  was  a  beautiful  rose  win- 
dow, to  the  road. 

In  front  of  the  inn  was  a  water-trough,  into  which  a 
stream  of  clear  water  ran  from  a  rudely-constructed  pen- 
stock. 

I  turned  to  go  back,  and  as  I  did  so  I  observed  how 
beautifully  the  golden  light  from  the  mountain  lighted 
up  the  whole  scene.  It  seemed  to  be  shining  through, 
and  softened  by  a  thin  cloud,  of  a  mingled  purple  and 
violet  hue.  The  golden  light  seemed  to  roll  down  the 
sides  of  the  mountain  like  burning  lava  through  this  thin 
cloud. 

One  luxury  they  had  in  abundance,  and  that  was  clear, 
pure  water  in  every  possible  form. 

As  I  was  returning  I  observed  that  the  houses  on  both 
sides  of  me  were  enveloped  in  different  colored  lights — 
some  red,  some  blue,  some  green,  some  orange,  and  the 
like,  which,  while  it  added  immensely  to  the  beauties  of 
the  scene,  served  to  indicate  the  prevailing  characteristics 


SPIRITUALISM.  167 

of  the  occupants.  There  was  such  indescribable  love- 
liness, repose,  and  happiness  in  the  scene,  that  I  was 
filled  with  emotions  of  solemn  awe  too  fall  to  speak.  I 
gave  up  the  reins  to  the  driver  who  sat  by  my  side,  and, 
folding  my  arms,  surrendered  myself  to  silent  contem- 
plation. 

The  distant  hills  were  surrounded  by  a  purple  haze,  and 
the  general  aspect  of  the  intermediate  landscape  was  of 
a  soft,  rose-colored  hue.  It  was  their  twilight.  As  I  re- 
turned to  my  wife's  mansion,  I  observed  it  was  surrounded 
by  a  pale,  soft  light  of  gold  and  blue,  distinct  from  each 
other,  yet  mingled. 

I  assisted  my  wife  to  dismount  from  the  carriage,  and 
she  stopped  at  her  gate,  swinging  her  hat  around  her 
fingers ;  and  thus  I  took  my  leave  of  her,  and,  with  her 
aged  servitor,  passed  rapidly  on  my  return. 

As  I  went  along,  many  told  me  they  had  something  to 
show  me  ;  but  my  time  was  up,  and  I  could  not  tarry.  So 
as  I  passed  the  residence  of  him  who  had  built  the  stair- 
way, I  paused  a  moment  to  say  that  I  must  defer  my  visit 
to  him  to  another  occasion,  and  then  I  left  the  country. 


^4^F0'R^S^ 


168  SPIEITUAHSM, 


Bttim  ifoelh. 

Friday,  Sept.  16,  1853. 
The  circls  met  in  my  library. 

After  a  manifestation  through  Mrs.  S.,  Dr.  D.  was  influenced,  and  the 
following  was  written : 

This  is  a  proper  opportunity  for  me  to  make  a  few  re- 
marks, and  as  the  teaching  through  Mrs.  Sweet"^  is  in- 
tended to  represent  a  spirit's  entrance  to  the  spheres  who 
has  lived  entirely  for  his  own  pleasures,  and  who  has  not 
improved  any  opportunities  which  had  been  oft'ered  him  by 
his  connections  and  wealth,  it  was  well  said  that  his  mind 
\vas  a  blank,  and  in  this  remark  you  have  as  perfect  an  ex- 
emplification of  the  soul's  condition  in  some  persons,  as 
could  possibly  be  given  you,  for  it  is  the  absolute  law 
which  obtains  in  all  God's  works,  that  every  thing  he  has 
created  must  progress  to  develop  its  full  and  positive  char- 
acteristics. 

l^ow,  when  a  child  is  born  into  your  world,  his  mind  is 
a  blank.  He  neither  thinks,  nor  is  capable  of  communi- 
cating thought,  and  the  first  manifestation  he  makes  is  his 
desire  to  obtain  food,  which  is  purely  a  material  attribute. 
But  when  in  process  of  time  that  child's  body  develops,  so 
does  his  brain  become  capable  of  receiving  from  the  out- 
ward world  those  impressions  which  it  can  nov/  convey  to 
his  spirit.  There  is  a  proportional  growth  of  spirit  as  well 
as  body.  Now,  the  spirit  in  its  growth,  as  well  as  the 
body,  displays  certain  peculiarities,  that  evidently  can  not 
be  derived  from  the  impressions  made  on  the  material  part 

*  See  Appendix  C.  , 


^  SPIRITUALISM.  169 

of  his  organization  ;  and  those  peculiarities  may  distinguish 
it  throughout  its  whole  life. 

Suppose  for  a  moment,  that  a  child  should  die!  can  it  be 
compatible  with  what  we  see  of  the  works  of  God  every- 
where, that  the  spirit  of  that  child  should  always  remain  in 
the  same  state  in  which  it  was  placed  on  earth?  that  it 
should  never  develop  the  spirit-attributes,  and  forever  be  a 
blank  ?  Or,  suppose  that,  when  arrived  at  manhood,  with 
all  the  peculiarities  developed  by  material  impressions,  as- 
sociation, education,  and  the  spirit's  own  characteristics,  it 
dies  !  Can  the  mind  contemplate  that  soul  after  death  re- 
maining in  the  same  condition,  mentally  and  spiritually  ? 
God,  even  in  the  smallest  thing,  displays  the  divine  prin- 
ciples by  which  his  own  existence  is  governed,  as  well  as 
all  creation ;  and  from  the  first  of  the  germ  to  the  full  and 
perfect  insect  he  inducts  it  into  several  processes  of  exist- 
ence until  the  perfect  thing  is  formed,  lives,  and  dies. 

But  even  in  the  characteristics  of  this  insignificant  in- 
sect there  is  always  a  commensurate  display  of  progress  in 
all  that  concerns  its  life,  as  there  is  in  man.  And  in  each 
living  thing,  from  the  most  minute  to  the  highest  of  all,  this 
same  law  is  observed  to  exist,  and  may  be  called  indubi- 
tably, the  law  of  progression. 

But  when  a  man  dies,  as  this  man  described  to-night, 
with  no  view  of  the  obligations  binding  him  to  his  race, 
and  who  lived  and  died  for  himself  alone,  can  you  realize 
how  all  that  God  has  taught  you  by  the  evidences  in  your- 
self and  in  all  nature  around  you,  that  he  intended  his 
spirit  to  live  forever  in  a  condition  created  by  this  selfish- 
ness here  ?  Were  this  so,  and  the  soul  maintained  its  own 
peculiarities  manifested  in  the  form,  after  death,  what  is 
called  Heaven  would  be  a  perfect  Hell,  unfit  for  the  resi- 
dence of  intelligent  beings,  and  more  especially  unfit  for 
the  residence  of  a  God.  'No ;  each  one  would  carry  into 
that  place  the  same  peculiarities  of  feelings  which  marked 
his  spirit  here,  modified  of  course  by  the  change  which 
might  have  taken  place  either  morally  or  otherwise.     Still, 


170  SPIKITUALISM. 

if  the  law  of  progression  was  not  in  full  effect,  the  soul 
would  not,  could  not,  increase  in  goodness,  but  would  posi- 
tively retrograde,  as  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  stationary 
condition  either  in  the  spheres  or  on  earth. 

The  soul  confined  to  this  place,  with  its  peculiarities  dis- 
tinct and  unqualified,  would,  if  there  were  no  progression, 
develop  the  same  properties  which  characterized  it  here, 
only  that  for  want  of  new  impressions,  good  or  not,  the  de- 
velopment would  necessarily  be  in  the  ratio  of  the  want 
of  the  attributes  w^hich  distinguish  intelligence  every- 
where. I  mean,  if  there  could  be  no  impressions  after 
death,  for  want  of  new  ideas,  the  soul  must,  and  would,  act 
on  the  old  ones  which  its  residence  on  earth  produced. 
Many  spirits,  when  entering  the  spheres,  have  a  mind  as 
much  a  blank  in  reference  to  all  that  concerns  existence,  as 
if  they  were  just  ushered  into  a  life  on  earth,  and  it  be- 
comes as  much  under  the  education  of  other  spirits  in  its 
own  progress  in  what  is  good  and  true,  as  if,  too,  it  were 
taught  the  precepts  of  righteousness  by  earthly  teachers 
in  your  w^orld,  only  the  perception  of  the  true  and  good  is 
not  in  every  case  as  instantaneous  as  was  represented 
to-night. 

Every  man,  no  matter  how  good  he  may  appear  on 
earth,  can  not  enter  eternity  spotless  and  pure.  There 
must  be  many  sins  concealed  from  the  world,  and  which 
he  rolled  like  a  sweet  morsel  under  his  tongue,  that  find 
him  out  here,  and  the  change  in  his  material  condition 
facilitates  this  display.  Kow  the  spirit,  if  it  were  imme- 
diately ushered  into  heaven  after  death,  could  not  assimil- 
ate with  its  new  locality,  and  the  thousands  on  thousands 
of  spirits  found  there.  They  would  be  perfect,  or  would 
be  so  far  in  advance  of  the  new  spirit,  that  it  would  find 
itself  positively  out  of  place,  and  instead  of  being  happy, 
it  would  be  miserable.  Though  it  desires  to  be  good,  and 
it  has  lived  a  good  life  on  earth,  the  change  from  earth  to 
heaven  does  not  divest  the  mind  of  all  the  impurities  its 
earthly  residence  has  ingrafted  on  the  soul.     It  therefore 


SPIRITUALISM.  171 

can  not  unite  with  the  principle  existing  there,  which  is 
positive,  entire,  and  absohite  purity.  Now,  how  can  the 
soul  become  pure  so  suddenly?  Can  it  become  wicked  at 
once,  even  w^hen  surrounded  by  all  that  can  make  a  man 
wicked  on  earth?  Does  not  the  soul  reject  evil  w^hen  first 
presented  to  its  view?  And  does  not  a  man  who  has 
never  mingled  with  the  impure  and  evil,  shudder  when  he 
contemplates  their  doings  ?  But  when  the  mind  becomes 
accustomed  to  its  contemplation,  it  gradually  yields  to  its 
influence,  and  at  last  unites  with  the  wicked,  and  is  itself 
impure.  Can  this  effect  be  changed  when  the  soul  retains 
all  its  spiritual  properties  after  death?  No;  when  we 
contemplate  the  soul  of  man  ushered  into  a  new  existence, 
under  the  full  influence  of  the  law  of  progression,  we  feel 
assured,  then,  that  there  is  laid  up  for  us  a  treasure  in 
heaven,  but  that  we  must  earn  it  ourselves.  We  then  can 
understand  the  teachings  of  Christ,  where  he  says,  "  Work 
out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling."  Yes, 
the  soul,  recognizing  its  independence,  trusts  to  the  law  un- 
der which  its  existence  was  vouchsafed  to  it.  It  feels, 
then,  that  evil  is  the  certain  result  of  an  adherence  to  evils 
in  design  or  act,  and  it  acknowledges  that  the  law  will  find 
him  out,  whether  on  earth  or  in  the  spheres. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  any  violation  of  a  natural 
law  brings  its  own  punishment.  And  the  same  effect  wdll 
be  observed  in  the  violation  of  a  moral  law.  Then  the 
similarity  of  the  effect  shows  us  that  the  spirit  of  God  acts 
both  materially  and  spiritually,  and  that  his  manifestation 
through  the  material  adds  to  the  force  of  tlie  spiritual ;  and 
when  we  also  consider  that  any  disregard  of  the  material 
brings  aho  a  moral  acknowledgment  of  wrong,  we  at  once 
see  that  they  are  individually  united  in  the  spheres  forever. 

Entering  into  the  spheres  as  a  child,  it  is  taught  all  that 
it  will  receive,  and  if  it  rejects,  it  remains  the  same  in  the 
exhibitions  of  the  same  passions  and  feelings,  the  same 
incentives  and  motive-s  which  on  earth  characterized  the 
body  and  the  spirit. 


172  SPIKITUALISM. 

But  if  it  does  receive  and  seek  for  it,  it  puts  on  a  new 
garment  of  righteousness,  and  takes  its  place  in  that  house 
where  there  are  many  miinsions,  where  the  full  opportunity 
is  offered  of  receivino^  from  the  Father,  throus^h  his  insti- 
tuted  laws,  all  that  belongs  to  it,  as  the  son  and  heir  of  a 
glorious  eternity.  Sweedenbokg. 


Sutijn  C^irtnn, 


Monday,  Sept.  18,  1853, 
This  evening  the  whole  circle  were  present  at  Dr.  Dexter's,  and  after 
some  personal  matters  were  written,  I  was  impressed,  and  saw  as  fol- 
lows : 

I  WAS  again  in  that  country  near  the  fountain,  but  there 
were  only  two  or  three  spirits  there. 

My  attention  was  called  to  the  steps  leading  up  the  shin- 
ing mountain.  In  the  full  blaze  of  the  light  I  saw  an  old 
man  going  up,  with  a  staff  in  one  hand  and  a  book  in  the 
other.  He  moved  slowly,  but  the  ascent  did  not  seem  toil- 
some. Nor  was  that  his  first  visit.  He  belonged  there, 
and  had  been  absent  on  some  mission.  Tliough  he  was  at 
a  great  distance  from  me.  I  saw  him  very  distinctly,  and 
he  saw  me.  As  he  approached  the  arch  which  terminated 
the  ascent,  he  nodded  to  me  in  a  friendly  manner,  and 
pointed  up,  as  if  saying  to  me,  "  Enter  here,  too."  He 
then  passed  through  the  arch  beyond  my  sight. 

As  I  stood  looking  upon  the  ground  and  reflecting  upon 
the  incident,  the  presiding  spirit,  who  stood  near  me,  told 
me  that  that  was  Luke.  He  wore  a  sort  of  palmer's  dress. 
His  outer  garment  was  a  dark  purple,  bound  around  his 
waist  by  a  cord.     His  inner  garment  was  white. 


SPIRITUALISM.  173 

I  then  saw,  as  if  suddenly  lighted  up,  one  of  the  prom- 
inences beyond,  and  above  that  shining  mountain.  The 
light  was  generated  by  this  eminence  itself,  and  seemed  to 
issue  from  the  surface  in  numberless  streaks  of  crimson 
and  blue  light  mingled,  yet  distinct  from  each  other.  It 
showed  me  the  path  which  led  from  the  shining  mountain 
to  it.  It  was  a  suspension-bridge,  elevated  at  one  end 
much  higher  than  the  other. 

On  the  summit  of  this  eminence  was  a  vast  building 
surmounted  by  minarets,  domes,  castellated  towers,  and 
pointed  arches — a  singular  mixture,  but  very  beautiful. 
It  was  built  of  stones  veined  with  blue,  brown,  white, 
purple,  and  red  colors.  In  the  center  of  the  building  was 
a  large  flat  dome,  from  which  arose  a  flag-staff  in  the  shape 
of  the  cross.  From  the  staff  hung  in  easy  folds,  gently 
stirred  by  the  breeze,  a  white  banner  with  a  border  of 
blue  and  black  fringe.  On  the  banner  was  this  inscrip- 
tion: 

"  In  hoc  signo  vinces 
Sed  non  per  illud."* 

There  were  four  smjJl  flags  flying  from  other  parts  of 
the  building,  of  different  colors ;  but  I  was  too  distant  to 
distinguish  what  they  were  precisely,  or  the  devices  on 
them. 

Beyond  this  eminence  I  saw  a  passage  leading  from  it  to 
one  still  higher.  It  was  the  span  of  an  immense  arch,  tlie 
farther  end  of  which  was  lost  to  my  view  in  the  distance. 

From  the  crown  of  the  arch  a  pathway  lay  up,  wliich 
was  supported  by  several  tiers  of  arches,  one  above  another. 
The  end  of  that  path  also  was  lost  to  view  in  the  distance. 
It  seemed  to  terminate  in  a  still  greater  eminence,  which 
was  entirely  enveloped  and  hidden  from  my  sight  by  an 
immense  column  of  blue  flame,  tipped  in  a  thousand  places 
with  a  slight  tinge  of  gold.     In  the  mountain  with  the 

*  "  In  this  sign  you  conquer,  but  not  hy  it." 


17^  SPIKITUALISM. 

shining  golden  light  Love  predominated,  but  here  it  was 
Wisdom.  I  saw  spirits,  though  not  in  great  numbers,  com- 
ing from  the  distance,  and  plunging  out  of  my  sight  into 
the  blue  column.  Some  seemed  very  small  to  me,  as  if 
they  were  at  a  great  distance,  and  I  observed  that  all  had 
their  heads  encircled  by  a  halo  of  light,  not  entirely  cir- 
cular as  is  often  painted,  but  in  a  pyramidal  shape,  higliest 
in  the  center.  This  column  of  blue  and  gold,  I  observed, 
terminated  high  above,  in  a  bright  silver  light  which 
threw  its  bright  rays  far  into  the  distance,  illuminating 
space  far  beyond  where  ray  eye  could  reach.  The  light 
of  Love  and  Wisdom  thus  terminated  in  Truth,  and  illu- 
mined creation  around. 

When  I  had  observed  these  things,  the  presiding  spirit 
took  me  by  the  arm  and  led  me  into  their  Hall  of  Instruc- 
tion and  on  to  its  roof.  We  ascended  from  the  main  hall 
by  a  very  singular  flight  of  steps.  They  were  shaped  like 
several  X's  placed  one  on  another.  As  they  came  to  the 
different  floors,  platforms  extended  out.  It  was  some  time 
before  I  could  understand  how  they  could  be  ascended ; 
but  I  saw  that  it  was  very  plain  and  simple,  as  well  as 
ingenious.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  double  stairway.  They  were 
self-sustaining,  and  very  easy  of  ascent. 

The  roof  was  built  very  substantially,  of  heavy  massive 
stone,  strong  enough  to  hold  a  battery  of  cannon.  But  it 
was  armed,  not  with  instruments  of  destruction,  but  of 
knowledge,  and  that  was  a  number  of  telescopes  of  various 
sizes.  One  of  them  was  very  enormous,  far  beyond  any 
thing  ever  attained  on  earth,  and  the  machinery  by  which 
it  was  moved  and  guided  was  very  simple.  I  wanted  at 
once  to  go  to  that  one  and  look,  but  its  end  was  imme- 
diately depressed  so  low  that  I  could  not,  and  on  looking 
around,  I  observed  they  were  all  so,  save  the  smallest,  and 
that  was  at  the  proper  elevation.  I  accordingly  approach- 
ed it,  and  began  my  observations.  I  saw  a  single  star  that 
had  been  invisible  to  my  naked  eye.  It  appeared  now  to 
me  about  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  was  merely  a  flame 


SPIRITUALISM.  175 

of  fire  revolving  with  amazing  velocity.  It  was  the 
nucleus  of  another  world  rolling  out  of  the  immensity  of 
space,  and  forming  itself  in  obedience  to  the  great  laws  of 
creation  which  are  ever  at  work.  Its  center  seemed  like 
a  red-hot  ball,  somewhat  more  solid  than  its  exterior,  and 
thinning  off  into  what  may  be  called  a  liery  vapor.  It 
consisted  of  particles  of  matter  set  on  fire  by  the  velocity 
of  its  motion,  not  yet  amalgamated  but  attracted,  and  tend- 
ing gradually  toward  a  solid  mass.  It  had  been  ages  in 
progressing  thus  far,  and  ages  yet  must  pass  before  it  can 
be  so  far  developed  as  to  give  birth  to  animal  life.  Thus 
said  the  spirit  by  my  side. 

I  passed  then  to  the  next  telescope,  which  was  larger ; 
and  when  it  had  been  properly  adjusted  I  saw  another  star, 
which  appeared  somewhat  larger  than  the  other.  It  looked 
like  a  red-hot  cannon-ball,  and  was  surrounded  by  a  lumin- 
ous vapor  of  about  one  eighth  of  the  diameter  of  the  solid 
part.  This  body  did  not  move  as  rapidly  as  the  other. 
Off  from  it,  at  various  distances  in  the  space,  were  smaller 
irregular  pieces  of  burning  matter,  revolving  in  the  same 
direction  with  the  main  body,  and  keeping  up  with  it  in 
velocity.  These,  I  was  told,  were  parts  of  the  main  body, 
which  had  been  cast  off  in  the  process  of  its  formation. 
They  were  now  too  far  distant  for  its  attractive  power  ever 
to  be  able  to  draw  them  to  itself,  yet  so  near  as  to  keep 
them  revolving  nigh  it,  and  preventing  them  from  flying 
off  into  illimitable  space.  They,  too,  in  time,  when  ages 
shall  have  passed,  will  be  formed  into  regular  bodies  fitted 
for  animal  life,  and  revolve  around  the  main  globe  as  its 
satellites,  at  once  giving  and  imparting  light,  and  adding  to 
the  beauty  and  variety  of  the  scene. 

"While  I  was  looking,  I  saw  that  the  red-hot  nucleus  of 
the  main  globe  had  diminished  in  size,  and  by  becoming 
more  solid  had  decreased  in  its  dimensions,  but  the  sur- 
rounding fiery  vapor  had  not,  and  I  plainly  saw  an  open- 
ing between  it  and  the  globe.  And  it  seemed  to  me  that 
this  vacancy  must,  for  awhile  at  least,  be  augmented  as  the 


176  SPIKITUALISM. 

distance  weakened  the  attractive  power  of  the  globe  over 
this  attendant  vapor,  until  it  also  should  become  solid  in 
the  form  of  a  ring,  and  be  retained  bj  the  power  of  attrac- 
tion in  its  position  around  the  globe,  the  power  being  too 
weak,  by  means  of  the  distance,  ever  to  draw  it  back  to 
the  globe,  while  it  would  be  strong  enough  to  keep  it  from 
shooting  off  into  space. 

I  then  passed  to  the  next  telescope,  which  was  still  larger, 
and  there  I  saw  a  globe,  apparently  six  inches  in  diameter. 
It  was  white,  and  while  the  others  were  red,  and  shone  by 
their  own  light,  this  one  shone  by  a  borrowed  light.  It 
had  passed,  the  state  of  ignition  in  which  they  were,  and 
had  formed  a  solid  body;  yet  it  must  have  been  rough  and 
misshapen  on  its  surface,  for  I  saw  that  the  light  which 
was  reflected  from  it  was  uneven — in  some  places  bright 
and  in  some  darker,  like  the  appearance  of  the  moon  to  us, 
and  for  the  same  reason  that  its  surface  had  not  yet  been 
smoothed  down  by  the  hand  of  time,  but  was  filled  with 
deep  caverns  and  rugged  prominences.  ' 

It  was  yet  too  rude  and  wild  for  the  habitation  of  animal 
life,  and  ages  must  pass  before  it  could  become  so.  It 
must  be  an  awful  desert  waste,  with  no  life  and  no  vegeta- 
tion. I  saw  no  satellites  around  it — no  luminous  belts  ; 
but  I  observed  a  narrow  streak  of  atmosphere,  as.  I  con- 
ceived it  to  be ;  for  I  saw  a  star  near  it,  and  noticed  when 
it  passed  behind  this  planet ;  and,  by  the  change  in  its  light, 
I  discovered  that  there  was  an  atmosphere,  though  very 
faintly  developed  as  yet.  The  motion  of  this  body  was 
slower  still  than  either  of  the  others,  and  was  singular  in 
this  respect,  that  its  axis  was  at  right-angles  with  the 
plane  of  its  orbit,  so  that  instead  of  rolling  like  a  wheel 
it  was  turning  like  a  top.  Its  motion  caused  it  to  be  oval- 
shaped. 

Through  the  next  glass  which  I  approached,  I  saw  a 
globe,  larger  than  either  of  the  others,  signing  with  a  bor- 
rowed silver  light,  and  surrounded  by  several  smaller  ones 
revolving  around  it.     It  had  what  seemed  to  be  streaks  of 


SPIRITUALISM.  177 

light  around  it.  I  at  first  supposed  them  to  be  of  solid 
matter,  like  the  body  of  the  globe,  though  perhaps  less 
dense ;  but  I  discovered  that  this  was  not  so,  but  it  was 
owing  to  the  condition  of  the  atmosphere  belonging  to  that 
globe,  which  was  of  different  degrees  of  density  at  differ- 
ent places,  and  so  refracted  the  light  differently,  both  in 
passing  to  and  being  reflected  from  it;  and  thus  those 
streaks  or  belts  were  formed.  The  atmosphere  which  pro- 
duced that  effect  was  being  refined  and  sublimated  for  the 
support  of  a  higher  order  of  sentient  beings,  and  during  its 
progress  had  this  varying  density. 

The  next  telescope  was  still  larger,  and  through  it  I  saw 
the  whole  of  a  planetary  system,  with  its  glowing  center, 
its  planets  receiving  light  from  it,  and  attended  by  their 
satellites.  They  revolved  nearly  on  the  same  plane.  At  the 
point  from  which  I  viewed  it,  the  divergence  was  scarcely 
perceptible.  I  saw  comets  also  passing  across  their  orbits, 
going  toward  and  returning  from  the  center,  some  with 
tails,  some  with  a  nucleus,  and  some  without.  They  are 
collections  of  matter  undergoing  the  process  of  forming 
into  a  world  ;  and  as  they  pass  immense  distances  through 
space,  they  collect  more  matter  in  those  far-distant  regions, 
and  return  with  it,  absorbing  it  within  themselves  by  the 
power  of  their  attraction.  In  some  parts  through  which 
they  move  they  find  no  matter  in  a  proper  condition  to  be 
absorbed ;  and  as  they  become  more  dense,  their  orbits 
become  less  elliptical.  They  proceed  to  a  less  distance,  and 
move  only  through  the  space  where  there  is  no  matter  fit 
for  them  to  absorb  ;  and  the  matter  thus  taken  up,  first  in 
the  tail,  is  finally  absorbed  into  the  nucleus,  and  contrib- 
utes, in  the  process  of  time,  to  the  formation  of  a  new 
world. 

A  question  was  here  asked  by  one  of  the  circle,  whether  our  sun  was 
a  mere  luminous  body,  or  an  opaque  body  surrounded  by  a  luminous  at- 
mosphere, and  inhabited  ? 

It  was  answered :  "  The  latter." 

I  then  passed  to  the  last  and  largest  telescope,  and  lan- 

12 


178 


S  P  I  K  I  T  U  A  L  I  S  M  . 


guage  fails  me  to  give  an  adequate  idea  of  the  scene  which 
opened  to  my  view,  even  in  the  limited  field  of  vision  of 
that  glass,  not  one  thousandth  part  of  the  arch  above  me. 
Yet  in  that  small  field  of  vision  were  millions  and  millions 
of  shining  worlds,  of  all  variety  of  color,  and  rolling  in 
orbits  more  various  than  the  imagination  can  conceive. 
These  numberless  and  unnumbered  worlds  are  filled  with 
sentient  beings,  with  souls  destined,  like  ours,  to  people 
eternity.  The  drops  in  the  ocean ;  the  grains  of  sand  on 
the  sea-shore,  multiplied  by  millions  upon  millions,  would 
give  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  numbers. 

Seeing  the  vastness  of  this  creation — the  infinite  power 
and  wisdom  it  displa3^s,  I  asked  myself  what  must  be  the 
Creator  ?  Can  the  mortal  mind  grasp  the  thought  or  con- 
ceive the. might  and  majesty  of  his  existence?  And  what 
is  this  Earth,  in  this  vast  and  boundless  universe,  that  for 
it  his  eternal  and  immutable  laws  should  be  suspended? 
And  is  it  for  man  that  it  should  be  done  ?  for  man,  des- 
tined, from  his  undeveloped  state,  to  wander  for  ages  in 
the  process  of  progression  before  he  can  be  pure  enough  to 
reach  the  Godhead  ?  before  he  can  throw  off  the  impurity 
which  binds  him  down  to  this  material  existence,  and  be- 
gin to  rise  to  those  realms  where  the  glory  of  God  becomes 
manifest  ?  Is  he  of  consequence  enough  in  the  universe  to 
impel  the  great  Creator  to  surrender  his  omnipotence  and 
omniscience  to  his  wayward  fancy,  to  his  overweening 
vanity  ?  Such  were  the  thoughts  which  pressed  upon  my 
mind  as  I  surveyed  that  scene,  and  that  presiding  spirit 
said  to  me,  in  his  soft  and  solemn  tones,  "Stand  here,  now, 
with  your  foot  on  this  high  sphere,  your  hand  upon  this 
instrument  of  penetrating  far  into  the  hidden  glories  of 
creation — your  eye  embracing  only  a  portion  of  its  vast- 
ness, and  your  mind,  with  all  its  expansion,  scarce  able  to 
comprehend  its  verge  only  ;  and  think,  if  you  can,  of  that 
great  Creator  as  one  who  can  be  angry  at,  or  take  ven- 
geance upon,  the  inhabitants  of  one  of  the  merest  worlds 
«f  his  creation  ?     Think  of  him  rather  as  one  who  in  his 


SPIRITUALISM.  179 

love,  as  well  as  his  might,  has  created  this  countless  uni- 
verse ;  who  by  his  love  as  well  as  his  wisdom  controls  and 
governs  it,  and  who  by  his  love  pervading  all  created 
things,  diffused  abroad  through  all  matter  and  all  spirit, 
attracts  and  binds  it  together  in  unbroken  harmony.  Think 
of  him  as  one  whose  power  and  wisdom  are  never  exerted 
unaccompanied  by  his  love. 

"  He  is  love ;  and  to  be  like  him,  to  be  able  to  approach 
toward  him,  we  must  be  love.  Think  of  these  things ;  and 
when  you  bow  in  humble  adoration  before  him,  let  his  love 
fill  your  hearts,  and  remember  that  you  have  no  evil  to  fear 
of  his  creation,  but  only  that  which  yourselves  produce. 

"  And  oh  !  when  your  minds  dwell  on  the  Great  I  Am, 
think  of  him,  not  as  one  clothed  with  the  perversions  of 
your  animal  nature,  but  as  one  whose  love  is  too  powerful 
to  be  overcome — too  vast  to  be  exhausted. 

"  Bow  then  the  heart,  and  not  the  knee,  before  him ; 
enjoy  his  love  ;  profit  by  his  wisdom,  and  fear  not  his  ven- 
geance." 

Here  he  closed  his  remarks,  and,  after  leaving  me  silent 
for  a  few  moments,  he  conducted  me  out  of  the  building, 
where  I  took  leave  of  him  on  my  return. 

As  I  was  passing  down  I  saw  around  the  entrance  that 
lake-colored  light,  which  denoted  the  approach  of  other 
and  new  inhabitants  of  this  happy  land.  I  paused  long 
enough  to  discover  that  they  were  the  van  of  the  multi- 
tude whom  I  had  addressed  from  the  path  up  the  mount- 
ain ;  but  I  could  not  tarry  longer,  and  so  returned  to  Earth 
again. 


180  SPIKITUALISM, 


Swtifln  Jfottrtun. 


*  Thursday,  Sept.  22i»  1853. 

This  evening,  at  my  library,  the  circle  met.     Present  also  Mrs.  F.,  a 
medium  from  Maumee,  Ohio. 
It  was  written : 

We  feel  gratified  to-night  at  having  present  at  our  circle 
meeting  one  of  whom  we  have  heard  by  our  brother-spirit 
Bacon,  and  we  propose  that  an  attempt  be  made  to  impress 
her  by  some  of  the  spirits  present  who  desire  to  do  so.  If 
this  suits  all  present,  you  can  wait  silent  for  a  few  moments 
and  watch  the  result. 

Cordially  and  in  love,  with  our  feelings  all  attuned  to 
the  love  of  God,  everywhere  manifest  in  his  created  works, 
we  greet  you,  and  we  impress  you  to  love  another  in  the 
spirit,  to  feel  that  in  every  human  heart  are  the  seeds  of 
eternal  and  divine  love.  Be  constant  in  your  efforts  to  act 
as  well  as  feel,  for  while  our  God  and  our  Creator  feels 
the  unity  of  himself  with  all  parts  of  his  creation,  he  still 
unceasingly  acts  to  manifest  that  incomprehensible  love 
which  prompted  him  out  of  chaos  to  form  an  infinity  of 
worlds  for  the  abiding-place  of  man  and  his  progressive 
development.  Sweeden^boeg, 

Mrs.  F.  remarked  that  she  suspected  the  spirits  would  not  be  able  to 
influence  her,  and  it  was  written : 

It  is  only  necessary  that  she  should  hold  her  mind  as  it 
were  in  abeyance,  to  forget  herself  and  the  presence  of 
others,  and  she  can  be  carried  to  the  inner  condition  and 
see  us  all.  Bacon. 

She  was  then  influenced,  and  saw  the  spirits  that  surrounded  us.    The 


JSPIBtTTJALlSM.  181 

only  thing  requiring  particular  notice  was,  that  she  saw  a  dark  spirit 
also  in  attendance,  y^ho  was  striving  to  obtain  possession  of  her,  but  who 
was  prevented  by  the  brighter  ones. 
Then  it  was  written  : 

For  fifteen  minutes  we  will  influence  the  Judge,  but  he 
is  quite  unwell,  and  only  for  this  time  will  the  impress  be 
continued,  and  then  go  home.  This  picture  will  not  be  the 
continuation  of  the  usual  visions,  but  a  new  picture  en- 
tirely. 

I  then  saw  as  follows : 

I  was  in  a  dark  and  gloomy  country,  all  a  dead  level, 
whose  soil  was  a  fine  black  sand,  parched  and  very  dry. 
There  was  no  water,  no  trees  or  shrubbery,  but  all  was 
bleak  and  barren.  In  a  distant  part  of  the  scene  I  saw 
a  conical-shaped  mountain,  towering  darkly  among  the 
clouds,  and  intervening  were  roads  and  dwellings. 

It  looked  as  if  the  air  was  full  of  that  black  sand,  and  a 
smoke,  as  if  from  bituminous  coal,  was  over  it  all. 

In  front  of  one  of  the  houses  I  saw  two  men  fighting. 
Out  of  its  window  a  man  was  looking  and  laughing  at  the 
affray.  It  was  a  dirty-looking  hovel,  and  all  around  it  was 
foul,  neglected,  and  in  confusion.  How  cruel  that  fight 
was  !  They  were  a  large  and  a  small  man  who  were  en- 
gaged. The  larger  held  the  smaller  one  fast  and  beat  him 
in  the  face  with  his  fist,  long  after  he  ceased  to  resist.  Some 
of  the  passers-by  regarded  the  scene  with  indifference,  while 
some  enjoyed  dt,  and  applauded  and  encouraged  the  large 
one  to  keep  on. 

Among  those  who  passed,  I  was  particularly  struck  with 
two  who  were  engaged  in  deep  and  private  conversation. 
One  of  them  was  a  man  whose  forte  was  cunning,  and 
whose  penchant  was  to  circumvent.  He  was  never  true, 
sincere,  or  straightforward.  He  was  disclosing  some  plan 
he  had  devised  to  cheat  some  one,  and,  on  raising  his  fist 
at  his  companion,  he  said :  "  Damn  you,  if  you  betray  me." 
His  companion  seemed  to  be  entirely  under  his  control. 
He  was  weak,  and  admired  the  cunning  of  the  other.     He 


182  SPIRITTJALISM. 

seemed  to  love  to  aid  others  in  committing  crimes,  but  not 
to  have  mind  enough  to  devise  any  himself. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  way,  I  observed  what  seemed 
to  be  a  full-grown  boy,  had  caught  a  dog,  had  split  open 
his  tail  and  put  a  stick  in  it,  merely  to  enjoy  the  sport  of 
seeing  his  suffering.  He  then  turned  the  dog  loose,  and 
stood  enjoying  the  scene.  The  attention  of  the  owner  of 
the  dog  was  drawn  to  his  cries,  and,  discovering  the  cause, 
he  beat  the  boy,  who,  being  as  cowardly  as  he  was  cruel, 
fled,  but  was  pursued,  and  beaten  and  kicked  far  up  the  road. 

As  my  eye  followed  them  thus  into  their  country,  I  ob- 
served how  dark  and  gloomy  and  forbidding  every  thing 
seemed!  The  people  were  of  different  shades  of  a  dirt 
color.  The  light  seemed  to  be  an  eternal  twilight,  or  that 
of  a  dark,  murky,  cloudy  day.  The  air  they  breathed  was 
full  of  the  impalpable  dust  from  the  dry,  black  sand,  and 
all  around  showed  privation  and  neglect. 

At  the  door  of  one  of  the  hovels,  that  stood  a  little  back 
from  the  road,  I  saw  a  female  who  seemed  to  be  about 
twenty-six  years  old.  She  was  round  and  full  in  appear- 
ance— was  a  dark  brunette  with  painted  cheeks.  Her 
whole  appearance,  garb,  and  manner  were  meretricious, 
and  she  had  taken  up  her  position  there  to  entice  some  one 
to  enter  her  dwelling.  At  length  a  man  in  passing  turned 
aside,  under  the  influence  of  passions  which  had  marked 
his  earthly  career,  and  with  her  entered  her  house.  I  saw 
they  were  both  influenced  by  the  same  passions,  but  were 
incapable  of  gratifying  them.  The  woman  became  furious. 
She  raved  wildly,  and  in  her  insensate  rage  she  dashed  the 
things  around  her  to  pieces.  The  man  enjoyed  her  anger, 
and  she  raged  at  him  for  laughing  at  her.  She  seized  a 
chair  and  aimed  a  blow  at  him.  He  evaded  it,  and  with 
his  fist  knocked  her  down.  He  struck  her  in  the  neck  just 
below  the  chin,  and  when  she  fell,  he  gnashed  his  teeth 
in  his  rage,  and  stamped  with  his  foot  on  her  breast.  He 
kicked  her  in  the  side  several  times,  and  rushed  from  the 
house. 


SPIRITUALISM.  183 

Here,  as  I  was  describing  the  scene,  it  was  written  through  the 
Doctor : 

"  Does  she  not  suffer  pain  ?  Watch  and  see,  now.  Examine  her  or- 
ganization, and  see  its  grossness.  The  vision  is  given  you  by  a  spirit 
who  has  been  to  that  sphere.  It  is  the  only  place  in  eternity  where 
there  is  an  approximation  to  physical  pain," 

I  resumed  my  account  as  follows : 

She  did  seem  to  suffer  pain,  but  she  can  not  die.  She 
partly  recovered  her  consciousness,  for  she  had  been  ren- 
dered insensible  by  the  violence,  and  she  moaned  as  if  in 
pain.  She  put  her  hand  upon  her  breast,  as  if  in  great  dis- 
tress. She  breathed  with  difficulty,  and  seemed  to  suffer 
in  the  throat  where  the  blow  hit.  But  the  injury  on  her 
breast  caused  her  the  most  suffering. 

She  was  very  coarse  and  gross  in  her  organism.  Her 
legs  were  large,  her  ankles  coarse  and  ugly.  She  was  very 
full  behind  the  ears,  bull-necked  as  it  were.  Her  lower  jaw 
w^as  large  and  gross,  and  her  lips  and  mouth  like  a  negro's. 
She  was  rotten  with  the  disease  she  had  carried  with  her  to 
the  grave.  There  were  large  holes  eaten  by  it  in  her  groins 
and  in  her  thigh.     Ah !  what  a  disgusting  sight  this  was ! 

After  awhile  she  arose  from  the  floor  and  seated  herself 
on  the  side  of  a  bed.  While  she  did  so,  I  noticed  the 
furniture  and  appearance  of  the  room.  It  was  in  all  re- 
spects an  earthly  scene,  and  amid  its  poverty  and  wretched- 
ness she  had  bedizened  her  bed  Avith  curtains!  As  she 
sat  moaning,  she  deeply  felt  her  misery.  She  seemed 
to  be  aware  that  there  was  no  end,  no  alleviation  to  it — 
nothing  to  change  the  intensity  of  her  suflering — no  plea- 
sure that  she  could  enjoy.  She  sought  in  her  mind  for 
some  means  of  enjoyment,  and  found  it  only  in  the  deep 
spirit  of  revenge  which  was  awakened,  and  which  she  had 
a  burning  desire  to  vent  upon  him  who  had  thus  mal- 
treated her.  What  awful  torment  she  suffered  while  thus 
alone  she  brooded  o'er  her  wrongs !  worse  by  far  she  felt 
than  the  hell  she  had  heard  of  while  on  earth,  and  she  was 
persuaded  there  was  no  end  to  it.  Ask  her,  and  she  would 
say  that  kell  was  eternal. 


184  SPIRITUALISM. 

While  she  thus  sat  and  suffered,  a  little  girl  entered  the 
hut ;  her  manner  and  garb  were  those  of  the  most  hardened 
of  the  street-beggars  of  our  large  cities.  Her  black  eyes 
glowed  like  coals  of  fire,  and  she  seemed  precocious  in  all 
that  was  evil.  She  taunted  the  woman  with  her  condition, 
and  laughed  at  her.  The  woman  hurled  something  at  her 
head,  which  she  dodged,  and  repeated  her  taunts,  and  then 
fled  from  the  house  laughing. 

What  a  horrible  scene  of  human  degradation,  seen  amid 
that  dark  and  gloomy  atmosphere !  I  could  scarcely 
breathe  myself;  it  distressed  me,  and  I,  too,  left  the  house. 
Its  outside  appearance  was  in  keeping  with  all  else.  In 
front  of  the  door  lay  a  couple  of  rough  slabs  as  steps,  and 
the  yard  between  the  house  and  the  road  looked  so  dreary  ; 
nothing  but  that  barren  black  sand,  with  here  and  there  a 
sickly  plant  of  stramonium  and  a  few  stunted  plants  of 
chick-weed ;  and  laying  here  and  there,  thrown  carelessly 
aside,  various  household  implements,  in  various  stages  of 
decay.  All  was  poverty  and  filth,  and  amid  it  all,  to  con- 
template her  dress,  bedizened  off  so  as  to  render  her  per- 
son attractive  !  It  was  indeed  a  painted  sepulcher — a  fes- 
tering carcass  in  a  ball  dress — revolting  corruption  be- 
decked in  flaunting  colors.  Then  through  it  all,  her 
low  forehead,  her  sinister  eyes,  her  vacant  look,  her  high 
cheek  bones !  Pagli !  I  turned  and  hurried  from  the 
scene. 

As  I  got  out  into  the  street  I  saw  a  crowd  tearing  madly 
along  toward  me. 

They  seemed  to  be  dragging  something  by  a  rope,  which 
evidently  gave  them  great  pleasure. 

Their  shouts  and  yells  made  me  think  I  had  met  a  fire- 
company  running  at  the  sound  of  the  alarm-bell ;  but  as 
they  passed  me,  I  saw  it  was  a  living  man  whom  they  were 
dragging  by  the  ankle  along  the  ground.  He  w^as  suffer- 
ing much,  and  screaming  in  his  agony ;  but  they  only  re- 
joiced the  more,  and  I  noticed,  among  those  who  run  along 
by  his  side,  a  struggle  to  see  which  could  get  nearest  to 


SPIRITUALISM.  185 

him,  so  as  most  completely  to  enjoy  the  scene,  and  lose  not 
a  bit  of  it. 

They  passed  me,  and  I  moved  on.  Soon  I  came  to  a 
small  collection  of  people  who  were  acting  the  scene  of 
hanging  a  man  on  the  gallows.  There  was  the  scaffold, 
which  had  fallen,  and  a  man  was  hanging  by  the  neck  in 
the  death-struggle.  His  eyes  protruded  ;  his  tongue  was 
thrust  out  of  his  mouth ;  his  face  was  flushed  ;  he  strug- 
gled and  writhed,  but  he  could  not  die.  No  welcome  death 
could  come  to  put  an  end  to  his  misery.  I^o  voice  of  pity 
nor  murmur  of  compassion  arose  to  greet  his  ear,  but  only 
shouts  and  laughter,  rendered  louder  and  more  furious  the 
more  severely  he  struggled  and  suffered,  and  accompanied 
by  the  beating  of  a  drum — for  they  had  made  quite  a  mili- 
tary parade  of  it — and  the  gallows  was  surrounded  by  many 
in  grotesque  military  uniforms,  and  armed  with  sticks  and 
broom-handles. 

Passing  this  scene,  I  came  to  one  where  a  man  was 
hanging  in  chains ;  he  was  closed  in  an  iron  net  fastened 
to  a  cross-piece  on  two  upright  posts,  some  twenty  feet 
from  the  ground.  There  was  no  one  around  this  gallows  ; 
no  attention  seemed  to  be  paid  to  it,  except  as  the  poor 
sufferer  would  hail  the  passers-by  and  beg  for  a  drop  of 
water.  Thus  I  noticed  a  sailor  pass,  to  whom  he  cried  for 
help,  and  from  whom  he  got  the  answer,  "  Help  yourself, 
and  be  damned  to  you  !" 

IText  I  saw  a  party  who  were  burning  a  man  at  the 
stake.  He  was  fastened  to  the  stake  by  cords  so  tight  that 
he  could  not  move  a  limb  ;  and  thus  they  roasted  him  by 
a  slow  fire. 

Then  I  saw  enacted  a  scene  with  which  the  history  of 
the  Inquisition  has  rendered  us  familiar.  A  man  was  un- 
dergoing the  torture.  There  were  only  two  or  three  per- 
sons around  him,  as  if  there  was  some  exclusiveness  in 
this  enjoyment.  His  leg  was  in  an  iron  case,  and  wedges 
were  driven  in  to  crush  the  bone  and  flesh  together. 
How  well  they  did  it !  how  expert  they  were !  and  how 


186  SPIRITUALISM. 

they  gloated  over  his  yells  of  agony !  It  was  to  theni  a 
repetition  of  an  earthly  pleasure. 

I  next  saw  a  tall,  vicious-looking  woman,  of  about  fifty 
years  of  age.  She  was  dressed  in  a  spotted  calico  frock, 
very  common  and  very  dirty.  Her  hair  was  gray  ;  her 
teeth  were  gone ;  her  eyebrows  were  heavy,  and  under 
them  glowed  a  snaky  pair  of  eyes.  She  held  by  one  hand 
a  child  four  or  five  years  old,  who  was  squalid  and  ragged, 
but  who  seemed  to  be  of  a  simple,  pleasant,  and  aftection- 
ate  disposition.  The  old  woman  was  dragging  the  child 
along  roughly,  and  beating  it  with  a  stick.  Its  legs,  and 
arms,  and  breast  were  scarified. 

How  it  made  me  weep  to  see  that  little  sufferer !  and 
how  hard  must  be  the  heart,  how  dark  the  mind,  that  could 
thus  delight  in  inflicting  suffering  on  a  child !  Yet  that 
too  was,  alas !  but  an  earthly  scene,  enacted  but  too  often 
in  our  very  midst. 

I  next  observed  a  well-dressed  female  sitting  by  the  way- 
side, apparently  in  great  distress.  She  had  been  driven 
out  of  his  dwelling  by  the  man  for  whom  she  had  sinned 
on  earth — for  whose  sake  she  had  broken  the  ties  of  wife  and 
mother — for  whom  she  had  retained,  even  in  death,  an  in- 
sane attachment,  and  whose  company  she  had  sought  as 
her  only  solace  in  the  spheres.  She  had  been  brutally 
treated  by  him  on  earth,  and  as  brutally  driven  from  his 
side  here.  She  sat  alone  by  the  wayside  in  that  desolate 
scene,  and  amid  that  gloomy  light,  her  face  buried  in  her 
hands,  and  her  whole  frame  quivering  with  the  anguish 
she  was  enduring.  No  one  pitied  her.  The  passers-by 
sneered  and  went  on,  and  she  shrank  within  herself  at  the 
recollection  of  her  past  life.  Her  earthly  career  had  drag- 
ged the  gray  hairs  of  her  loving  parents  to  the  grave ;  she 
had  deserted  an  affectionate  husband,  and  brought  infamy 
on  her  own  children.  All,  all  the  past  now  arose  vividly 
before  her,  and  she  saw  no  end  to  her  misery.  Oh  !  with 
what  anguish  did  she  pray  for  annihilation !  how  earnestly 
wish  that  she  might  cease  to  be!  for  oh!  she  withered  at 


SPIRITUALISM.  187 

the  idea  of  such  a  forever !  The  memory  of  the  past  was 
so  vivid  ever  to  her,  and  so  horrible.  It  was  her  love  of 
pleasure  that  had  caused  her  fall.  She  had  seen  an  actor 
on  the  stage  in  all  the  glare  of  his  calling,  and  was  daz- 
zled ;  he  was  a  coarse  fellow ;  his  success  had  been  owing 
to  his  phisique  ;  he  was  gross,  sensual,  and  selfish,  and  he 
soon  cast  her  off;  he  now  hated  her  presence,  and  drove 
her  instantly  from  his  sight ;  and  as  she  bent  to  the  earth, 
she  cried,  "For  this  I  sinned  !  for  this  I  sinned  !" 

I  approached  near  to  her,  yet  she  did  not  seem  conscious 
of  my  presence.  Indeed,  I  observed  throughout  this  marked 
difference  between  this  and  the  brighter  spheres  where  I 
had  been :  here,  no  one  seemed  to  be  conscious  of  my 
presence,  unless  I  made  myself  known  ;  there,  in  the  bright- 
er spheres,  all  saw  me. 

I  asked  her  if  there  was  no  end  to  her  misery  ?  She 
shook  her  head  impatiently.  I  told  her  there  was  an  end, 
if  she  would  but  only  seek  it.  She  looked  up  at  me  as  I 
stood  by  her  side,  and  became  conscious  of  my  presence, 
and  that  I  was  not  of  that  place.  I  noticed  a  faint  streak 
of  light  around  her  head — a  fine,  silver-like  thread  scarcely 
perceptible. 

She  asked  me  how  she  could  find  it  ?  I  replied,  by  pen- 
itence. She  said  she  was  so  now.  I  asked  if  her  sorrow 
was  for  her  sin  or  for  its  consequences  ?  If  for  sin,  I  could 
show  her  the  way. 

The  expression  of  her  countenance  changed.  A  ray  of 
hope  seemed  to  enlighten  it,  and  she  looked  as  if  she  could 
have  fallen  down  and  worshiped  me.  She  said  she  sought 
this  place  and  that  companion  drawn  by  her  love  for  him, 
and  because  she  had  nowhere  else  to  go,  but  she  had 
through  it  all  felt  shame  and  sorrow  that  her  propensities 
had  so  attracted  her  there. 

I  then  pointed  her  to  that  conical  mountain,  assured 
her  that  by  ascending  that  she  would  have  a  view  of  a 
brighter  and  better  country,  and  told  her  of  the  means  of 
attaining  it. 


188  SPIRITUALISM. 

She  said  she  was  so  feeble,  so  hungry,  so  sick,  that  she 
could  not  climb  it. 

I  urged  her  to  try,  and  assured  her  that  every  step  would 
be  easier ;  that  she  must  work  out  her  own  salvation — 
she  must  toil  for  it.  It  was  a  long  distance  only  to  the 
base  of  the  mountain,  and  a  toilsome,  painful  ascent,  and 
even  when  she  had  attained  it  she  would  but  see  in  the 
distance  a  better  country,  to  which  still  the  journey  was 
long  and  painful.  Choose,  then,  I  said,  now  your  future — 
that  long  and  toilsome  travel  to  a  happy  land,  or  this  for- 
ever, which  now  surrounds  you. 

I  saw  by  her  countenance  that  by  nature  she  had  been  a 
kindly  woman,  and  I  told  her  that  on  her  passage  she 
would  find  the  means  of  doing  good  to  others,  and  she 
must  help  all  she  could  ;  that  every  good  deed,  thus  done, 
would  aid  her  on  her  journey. 

She  arose  from  the  ground,  and,  leaning  upon  the  fence, 
she  gazed  intently  at  that  distant  mountain ;  and  as  she 
gazed,  I  saw  the  light  around  her  head  increased. 

Amid  all  of  her  own  sufferings  she  had  observed  those 
of  that  little  child,  and  the  thought  occurred  to  her  to  take 
it  with  her.  She  immediately  went  to  the  old  woman's 
hovel,  where  she  saw  the  little  one  sitting  huddled  up  in  a 
corner,  suppressing,  from  very  fear,  its  moaning,  while  the 
old  woman  was  scolding  and  abusing  it.  She  begged  the 
child  of  the  old  woman,  and  was  instantly  refused.  She 
renewed  her  importunities,  and  finally  the  old  woman  told 
her  if  she  would  change  garments  with  her  she  might  have 
the  child.  She  assented  to  it,  and  the  change  was  made. 
The  old  woman  was  the  taller  of  the  two.  The  fine  black 
silk  dress  she  now  put  on  left  her  coarse  ankles  and  feet 
exposed  to  view ;  but  that  she  heeded  not,  but,  proud  of 
her  new  and  fashionable  garments,  she  repaired  to  a  piece 
of  broken  mirror  that  she  had,  and  admired  herself.  In 
the  mean  time,  the  other  female,  clad  in  the  long,  coarse, 
and  unbecoming  garment  she  had  now  put  on,  took  the 
child  in  her  arms  and  left  that  hut.     As  she  passed  along. 


SPIRITUALISM.  189 

that  little  child  put  its  arms  around  her  neck,  and,  burying 
its  little  face  in  her  bosom,  gave  free  vent  to  the  sobs 
which  before  it  had  been  obliged  to  suppress.  It  was  a 
touching  sight.  The  child  was  dirty  and  ragged,  yet  its 
flaxen  hair,  its  clear  complexion,  and  its  look  of  inno- 
cence awakened  my  compassion  ;  and  as  it  cried  in  its  joy 
that  it  had  some  one  to  love,  my  tears  also  flowed  in  spite 
of  me.  • 

As  the  female  proceeded  on  her  way  to  the  mountain, 
she  became  stronger  and  walked  more  erect.  She  finally 
ran,  so  as  to  get  as  soon  as  possible  beyond  the  reach  of 
her  former  companion,  lest  in  his  vileness  he  might  at- 
tempt to  interrupt  her.  The  child,  pleased  with  the  mo- 
tion, raised  its  head,  and  with  one  of  its  little  hands  patted 
her  on  the  neck. 

The  female  every  moment  felt  stronger,  and  I  noticed 
that  a  bright  spirit  now  approached  her  from  above.  He 
was  still  at  quite  a  distance  from  her,  but  he  threw  upon 
her  a  strong  stream  of  light,  whose  influence  cheered  her 
on.  He  had  discovered  her  efforts  at  redemption,  and 
henceforth  she  would  not  be  alone  in  her  journey. 

As  she  traveled  along,  she  passed  a  bridge  under  which 
floated  a  sluggish  stream  of  dirty  water ;  some  half-grown 
boys  were  bathing  in  it.  One  of  them,  a  stupid,  vicious 
boy,  was  the  butt  of  the  others,  who  were  amusing  them- 
selves by  holding  his  head  under  the  water  and  trying  to 
smother  him.  He  struggled  violently,  but  they  were  too 
strong  for  him.  She  paused  a  moment,  and  remonstrated 
with  them.  They  quitted  their  play  and  pelted  her  with 
mud,  and  foremost  among  those  who  thus  pelted  her  was 
him  for  whom  she  interfered.  Some  of  the  mud  hit  her  on 
the  side  where  the  child  was  ;  she  removed  it  to  the  other 
side,  so  as  to  interpose  her  own  person  between  it  and  harm 
from  their  rudeness.^ 

«  Now,  in  August,  1854,  the  spirits  of  the  female  and  of  that  child  have 
approached  and  spoken  to  me  through  a  medium.  She  gave  her  name,  and 
said  she  was  a  French  woman,  and  lived  in  Paris  during  the  reign  of  Louis 


190  SPIRITUALISM. 

What  a  repulsive  nature  that  boy  is  !  A  brutal  coun- 
tenance, with  short  hair,  bull  neck,  and  low  forehead,  he 
hardly  seemed  fit  to  live.  How  many  ages  must  pass  be- 
fore he  can  progress ! 

As  she  resumed  her  journey,  I  saw  crossing  the  path  di- 
rectly before  her  a  man  that  could  not  walk  upright.  He 
had  been  ages  there,  and  had  lived  on  earth  when  man  was  so 
little  developed- that  he  could  not  stand  erect.  He  was  one 
of  the  lowest  individualizations  of  man.  He  still  moved 
bent  over,  and  used  his  arms  frequently  to  help  his  loco- 
motion. He  was  very  strong  in  them,  and  by  their  aid 
could  jump  a  great  ways. 

As  I  turned  to  leave,  I  observed  what  an  air  of  desola- 
tion and  dilapidation  rested  upon  the  scene.  Not  a  build- 
ing anywhere  in  order,  but  every  thing  showing  neglect 
and  confusion. 

Thus  ended  this  vision.     After  it  closed,  we  all  remarked  on  the  sin- 
gularity of  that  child's  being  there. 
And  it  was  written : 

The  child  was  there  because  it  had  been  educated  in 
grossness,  and  died  material  in  thought  and  sentiment,  but 
possessed  the  germs  of  goodness,  which  were  developed 
even  there  to  add  to  the  deep  misery  of  the  woman's  suf- 
fering ;  and  when  the  other  woman  expressed  the  desire  to 
progress,  the  opportunity  was  afiforded  to  develop  that 
^erm.     She  had  been  there  but  a  short  time.     Good-night. 

Philippe.  She  spoke  of  her  parents,  of  her  husband,  and  of  her  brothers  and 
sisters.  She  gave  me  some  little  account  of  the  progress  she  had  made,  and 
said  she  had  not  yet  attained  the  base  of  the  mountain  to"ward  which  she  was 
traveling. 


8FIBITUALI81I.  191 


Suliflii  Jfiftettt. 


Saturday^  Sept.  24^,  1853. 

Mrs.  F.,  the  medium  from  Ohio,  has  been  spending  a  few  days  with 
me.  On  Thursday  last  she  attended  our  circle,  and  while  under  the  in- 
fluence saw  attending  us,  but  standing  a  little  distance  off,  a  dark  spirit, 
whose  influence  the  brighter  spirits  who  were  with  us  were  striving  to 
drive  ofi". 

This  evening  she  and  I  called  on  a  friend.  While  there  Mrs.  F.  was 
influenced  by  a  dark  spirit,  who  said  he  had  a  spite  against  me.  I  asked 
him  what  for  ?  He  answered :  Because  I  frustrated  his  plans,  I  replied 
to  him  in  a  spirit  of  defiance,  and  told  him  we'd  have  a  fair  fight  for  it. 
Nothing  else  of  interest  occurred,  and  we  left.  On  our  return,  we  stop- 
ped a  moment  at  a  rapping  medium's,  and  Mrs.  F.  got  a  communication 
through  the  rappings  from  her  attendant  spirit.  I  inquired  if  the  dark 
spirit  who  had  come  was  one  in  attendance  on  me  ?     It  was  answered  : 

No ;  on  some  one  else  of  the  circle. 

Late  in  the  evening  we  returned  home  and  sat  alone  in  my  parlor  for 
some  little  time.  I  prepared  to  retire  by  fastening  my  house,  and  on  re- 
turning to  the  room  I  found  Mrs.  F.  very  rigid,  and  evidently  under  the 
influence.  I  sat  down  to  await  the  manifestation,  and  in  the  mean  time 
took  up  a  newspaper.  She  soon  asked  for  a  pencil.  I  got  pencil  and 
paper  for  her,  and  resumed  my  reading.  After  a  while  I  looked  up  and 
saw  she  was  very  rigid,  and  that  she  had  written  something  which  she 
held  down  very  tight  on  the  table,  and  was  pushing  toward  me.  I  read 
it.     It  was  this : 

You  are  afraid  to  trust  your  old  friends,  and  think  that 
we  will  not  protect  you.  We  will.  If  the  Judge  will  sit  on 
the  other  side,  and  touch  your  left  hand,  we  will  throw  off 
opposing  influence.     Be  quick. 

I  immediately  did  as  directed  but  as  some  delay  had  occurred  from 
my  attention  being  taken  up  with  my  reading,  I  was  too  late — the  spirit 


192  SPIRITUALISM. 

had  complete  possession  of  the  medium,  and  retained  it  for  more  than  an 
hour. 

At  first  we  sat  by  the  table  very  silent,  and  every  muscle  of  her  body  was 
drawn  to  its  tightest  tension.  I  held  her  left  hand  in  mine,  and  placed 
my  right  hand  on  her  head,  and  continued  to  do  so  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  interview.     She  frequently  told  me  not  to  let  go  of  her. 

It  was  evident  that  the  influence  was  an  unhappy  one,  and  that  self- 
control  and  self-consciousness  had  left  her.  It  was  some  time  before  the 
spirit  said  much,  but  the  gesticulation  was  violent.  He  frequently 
looked  in  my  face  with  a  concentrated  expression  of  spite,  but  I  observed 
that  his  gaze  was  soon  withdrawn  under  my  steady  look.  His  face  was 
very  much  flushed.  The  eyes  were  open  and  protruded,  and  .the  cheeks 
swollen.  Around  the  whole  of  the  upper  part  of  the  neck,  just  below 
the  chin  and  ears,  was  a  white  streak,  as  if  there  was  no  blood  there, 
while  below  that  the  neck  was  so  flushed  that  it  was  fairly  purple. 

The  right  hand  was  doubled  into  a  fist,  and  he  over  and  over  again 
raised  it  to  strike  me.  It  seemed  to  tremble  with  passion  and  was  very 
rigid  and  hard.  I  said  to  him  several  times,  "  Strike,  if  you  want  to." 
His  eyes  were  generally  fixed  rigidly  at  some  object  on  the  table,  and 
when  I  would  say  this  he  would  turn  and  look  at  me,  as  if  to  see  with 
what  emotions  I  said  it.  Several  times  he  raised  his  fist,  and,  shaking 
it  at  me,  said,  "Do  you  see  that?''  I  said,  "Yes,"  but  I  was  not  un- 
easy at  any  thing  he  could  do,  for  God  was  over  all,  and  in  him  I 
trusted. 

This  continued  for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  during  which  he  got  more 
complete  control  of  the  medium  and  talked  easier.  As  soon  as  I  saw  he 
could  understand  me,  I  began  to  talk  to  him.  I  said  I  was  sorry  I  had 
spoken  to  him  as  harshly  as  I  had  earlier  in  the  evening.  I  was  then 
a  little  combative,  but  now  I  told  him  I  had  no  feelings  toward  him 
but  compassion  and  a  desire  to  do  him  good  if  I  could.  He  gave  me  in 
return  a  sneer. 

I  can  not  give  the  details  of  the  interview  consecutively,  for  I  took  no 
notes.  I  must  give  it  as  I  remember  it,  and  in  the  order  in  which  the 
events  arise  in  my  memory 

Thus  about  this  time  he  said  to  me,  "  I  can  tell  you  some 
things  you  don't  know."  I  told  him  I  was  well  aware  of 
that,  and  hoped  he  would  do  so,  for  it  would  help  me  do 
good  to  the  world.  He  replied  to  me,  *' Curse  the  world*! 
I  hate  it."  I  asked  him  if  his  hatred  and  curses  gave  him 
happiness  ?  For  my  part,  I  found  that  loving  mankind, 
and  desiring  their  good,  made  me  most  happy.     He  said, 


SPIRITUALISM.  193 

"  Did  you  ever  have  your  damned  neck  broke  on  a  gal- 
lows ?"  I  said,  'No ;  that  was  a  great  misfortune,  but 
could,  if  he  pleased,  be  converted  into  the  means  of  doing 
him  great  good.  If  he  was  one  whom  I  had  condemned, 
he  might  be  assured  that  I  had  not  done  it  without  an 
aching  heart.  "  l!^o,"  was  his  reply,  "  it  was  not  you,  but 
he  w^as  an  old  fool."  It  was  the  world,  he  said,  that  had 
made  him  bad,  and  then  hung  him  for  it. 

I  did  not  wonder,  I  said,  that  he  felt  the  degradation, 
but  it  need  not  be  perpetual.  I  had  in  myself  experienced 
the  redeeming  power  that  was  available  to  him  as  it  was 
to  me. 

"  Ay !     But  did  you  ever  murder  ?" 

"  Ko." 

''  Well,  I  have,  and  curse  him  !     I'd  do  it  again." 

"  You  must  be  wretchedly  unhappy  in  the  place  to  which 
such  feelings  condemn  you.  Have  you  no  aspirations  for 
a  better  condition  ?" 

I  then  asked  if  he  hadn't  a  mother,  or  sister,  or  wife,  or 
children  in  the  spirit- world,  with  whom  he  would  like  to 
be  reunited. 

After  a  Ipng  pause  he  asked  me  if  I  knew  Mary  ?     Upon  , 
this  hint  I  spoke,  and  dwelt  often  during  our  interview 
upon  his  reunion  with  her.     I  asked  him  if  he  had  not 
Joved  her  ? 

"  Loved  her !"  was  his  answer ;  and  then  with  a  frantic 
gesture,  as  if  inflicting  a  stab,  he  added,  "and  deeply  was 
I  revenged.  I  hate  the  world.  Curse  them!  You  don't 
know  what  wrongs  I  suffered !" 

I  told  him  it  was  not  difficult  for  me  to  imagine,  for  I 
knew  how  much  wrong  man  was  every  day  inflicting  upon 
his  fellow.  But  still  these  feelings  of  hatred  and  revenge 
only  kept  his  spirit-friends  of  a  brighter  state  far  from  him. 
Much  more  like  this  I  said  to  him  until  he  was  melted  into 
tears.  He  nestled  close  up  to  me,  and  said  he  was  happier 
than  he  had  been  for  a  long  time.  He  asked  me  if  I  could 
help  him,  and  if  I  would  ?     But  he  would  not  credit  my 

13 


194  SPIKITUALISM. 

assurance  that  I  could  and  would,  and  said,  "I  havn't  confi- 
dence in  any  one." 

I  asked  him  what  I  could  do  to  convince  him  of  my  sin- 
cerity? What  object  could  I  have  in  deceiving  him? 
And  if  he  didn't  know  what  I  had  already  dared  and  sacri- 
ficed for  the  cause  of  truth  ? 

He  said,  Yes,  he  knew  it,  but  he  wanted  a  pledge,  a  sign 
from  me. 

I  described  to  him  my  seal,  and  told  him  ^  that  in  its 
words,  "  The  Truth  against  the  World,"  he  would  find  my 
pledge. 

He  then  said^  "  I  shall  suffer  for  this.  Won't  they  tor- 
ment me  ?  Why,  they  taunt  me  and  call  me  criminal,  and 
tell  me  I  was  hung  on  the  gallows ;"  and  he  asked  me, 
"  Do  you  know  how  many  are  here  now  ?" 

I  told  him  I  did  not. 

He  said,  "  There  are  a  good  many.  Your  room  is  full 
of  them.  But  they  can't  come  near  you.  Twelve  of  them 
have  formed  a  combination  and  chosen  their  leader,  and 
are  full  of  contrivances  for  mischief;"  and  then  sinking 
his  voice  to  a  whisper,  he  said,  "  they  are  saying  among 
I  themselves  you  will  take  their  companion  away  from 
them." 

Then,  after  a  pause,  he  said,  "Curse  them!  Black 
devils !     I  don't  want  to  be  back  among  them." 

I  told  him  he  need  not,  that  all  depended  on  himself. 
If  he  would  earnestly  desire  to  be  lifted  up  from  their  asso- 
ciation, he  could  be.  Eepeatedly  during  the  conversation, 
and  after  he  had  shown  signs  of  penitence,  I  asked  him  if 
he  did  not  see  a  light  dawning  upon  him  in  the  distance. 
Once,  after  gazing  very  intently,  he  said  he  did. 

Once  he  paused  and  listened,  and  said,  "Do  you  hear 
that?" 

I  answered,  Yes,  I  heard  rappings  where  he  pointed, 
and  asked  what  it  meant,  but  he  gave  me  no  answer. 

At  length  I  urged  him  to  leave,  for  he  could  see  how  he 
was  causing  the  medium  to  suffer. 


SPIRITUALISM.  195 

He  said  he  had  found  her  on  her  way  down  to  New 
York,  and  discovered  that  she  was  not  afraid,  and  therefore 
he  coald  influence  her.  But  he  was  afraid  that  if  he  left 
her,  he  would  not  be  permitted  to  speak  through  her  again. 
I  repeatedly  assured  him  he  should.  I  proposed  he  should 
come  to  our  circle  to-morrow  night,  and  we  would  hear  him. 

He  said  he  didn't  want  to  expose  his  shame  to  the  world. 
He  wanted  to  talk  to  me  privately. 

I  said  it  should  be  as  he  pleased.  He  then  asked  me  to 
give  him  a  written  pledge  that  he  might  come. 

I  sat  down  to  write  one,  and  asked  his  name.  He  said 
he  had  a  good  many,  but  I  might  call  him  Misfortune. 

I  then  wrote  these  words :  "  I  promise  Misfortune  that 
he  shall  have  a  further  opportunity  to  confer  with  me 
through  Mrs.  F." 

He  asked  my  name,  and  told  me  to  sign  it. 

Then  I  asked,  "  What  good  will  that  do  you  ?  You  can't 
take  it  away  with  you." 

He  answered,  "  Lay  it  on  the  table.  They  will  see  it, 
and  I  can't  go  back  without  some  evidence  that  I  have  been 
here." 

He  said  when  he  came  again  he  would  bring  some  one 
with  him,  for  he  was  not  alone  in  wishing  to  get  out  of  that 
bad  place.  And  if  he  found  out  what  I  said  to  be  true,  he 
would  proclaim  it  so  down  among  those  people. 

He  then  gave  me  instructions  what  to  do  with  Mrs.  F. 
when  he  left  her.  He  told  me  not  to  let  go  her  hand,  and 
to  keep  one  of  my  hands  on  her  head  all  the  time,  and  not 
be  alarmed  at  her  fainting,  for  she  would  not  die. 


196  SPIRITUALISM. 


Sept.  25,  1853. 
This  morning,  while  I  was  sitting  in  ray  library,  writing,  Mrs.  F. 
came  in  and  stood  up  near  me.  She  said  she  felt  the  influence  upon  her. 
I  paid  no  particular  attention  to  it,  but  went  on  with  my  writing. 
Looking  up,  after  a  while,  I  saw  her  eyes  were  closed,  that  tears  were 
rolling  down  her  cheeks,  and  that  she  was  fully  entranced  and  uncon- 
scious.    I  then  gave  attention  to  the  manifestation. 

Ere  long,  slie  said,  "  Can  you  wipe  tears  from  the  eyes?" 
I  said  "  Yes,  and  from  the  heart  also." 

She  asked,  "Is  there  any  hope?" 

I  told  her  indeed  there  was  to  those  who  truly  repented 
and  earnestly  desired  to  be  better  and  purer. 

I  asked  if  it  was  the  same  person  who  was  here  last 
night  ? 

"  No ;  but  he  sent  me  here."  Then  falling  on  her  knees 
before  me,  she  bowed  her  head,  and  in  a  low  voice,  said, 
"  I  will  confess  to  you."  After  a  brief  pause,  she  added, 
"  I  murdered  my  own  child." 

She  then  asked  if  she  could  come  again?  I  said  she 
might,  and  she  said  she  must  leave,  or  she  would  injure 
Mrs.  F. ;  and  so  she  left. 

Soon  after.  Dr.  Dexter  came  in.  and  he  was  influenced  to  write  as 
follows : 

I  can  not  permit  the  Doctor  to  remain  here  much  longer ; 
but  as  there  are  circumstances  of  importance  to  be  under- 
stood, I  shall  instruct  you  for  a  moment,  and  then  insist  on 
his  going. 

In  the  first  place,  in  regard  to  Mrs.  F.,  the  direction 
given  by  the  spirit*  should  not  be  taken  literally ;  for  if 

*  In  reference  to  her  diet. 


SPIRITUALISM.  197 

she  entirely  abstained  from  food,  she  would  not  be  able  to 
perform  the  duties  before  her. 

It  is  not  the  absolute  effect  of  food  taken  into  the  body 
necessary  for  its  support  that  will  interfere  with  the  mani- 
festations through  her,  but  it  is  the  grossness  of  the  nutrition 
derived  from  that  which  in  amount  gratifies  the  taste,  not 
the  demands  of  the  body.  If  there  were  not  enough  taken 
into  the  stomach  to  support  the  functions  of  the  nervous 
as  well  as  the  muscular  system,  she  could  not  be  ap- 
proached either  by  good  or  unprogressed  spirits.  The  in- 
struction should  be  understood  as  meaning  that  she  should 
take  just  enough  food  to  keep  the  several  organs  in  proper 
action,  and  no  more. 

The  intention  of  all  that  you  have  witnessed  is  of  far 
more  serious  import  than  you  now  suppose.  In  all  that 
you  see,  though  it  may  appear  singular,  if  you  will  cast  re- 
flection back  to  the  teachings  personally  months  ago,  you 
will  perceive  that  it  was  then  told  you  that  these  things 
would  be  revealed  sooner  or  later.  But  let  your  judgment 
be  exercised  in  every  thing.  Let  your  analysis  be  com- 
plete, and  let  nothing  interfere  between  clear  comprehen- 
sion and  what  you  hope  may  be  the  effect.  One  thing  is 
certain.  In  the  revelations  you  will  witness  there  are  prin- 
ciples involved  of  which  you  have  not  even  dreamed,  and 
it  requires  from  all  of  you  the  just  exercise  of  all  your  men- 
tal powers  rightly  to  refer  to  each  separate  effect  the  design 
and  purpose  thereof 

Let  them  be  heard.  If  they  come  in  crowds,  give  to  each 
a  hearing,  and  then  decide  on  each  individual  case  as  it  is 
presented. 

Bacon,  and  all  the  Spirits  attending. 

After  he  left,  a  spirit  manifested  herself  through  Mrs.  F.,  who  said  : 

She  had  been  a  female  who  had  had  great  pride  in  life, 
and  was  ambitious  of  pomp  and  distinction ;  that  she  had 
sold  her  virtue  to  a  villain  for  gold  ;  had  enticed  her  own 
daughter  to  sin,  and  then  to  murder  her  child  to  hide  her 


198  SPIRITUALISM. 

shame,  and  wlio  had  herself  committed  suicide  to  avoid 
exposure. 

She  said  the  female  who  first  came  Vas  her  daughter, 
who  had  told  her  of  this  way's  being  opened  to  escape  from 
the  darkness  in  which  she  dwelt. 

She  once  asked  me,  "Did  you  ever  despair?"  I  in- 
quired if  she  did?  She  answered,  Yes,  for  she  saw  no  end 
to  her  misery ;  that  she  had  been  there  many  years,  and 
was  sinking  lower  and  lower.  She  was  now  residing  in 
horrible  darkness,  alone  with  her  daughter.  Her  daugh- 
ter, she  said,  was  purer  than  she  was,  and  would  never 
again  return  down  there ;  and  she  could  not  bear  to  return 
alone  to  that  darkness.  Her  crimes,  she  said,  were  her 
only  companions  ;  the  memory  of  them  was  ever  with  her. 
And  "  Oh  !"  she  exclaimed,  laying  her  hand  on  her  heart, 
"how  they  burn,  burn,  forever  burn  here." 

She  said  Jane  told  her  that  through  us  there  was  a  way 
opened  to  escape  from  that  horrible  place.  I  inquired  if 
no  one  ever  came  to  teach  them  a  way  ?  She  said,  "  ISTo  ; 
only  that  man  who  was  here  last  night  came  and  told  them 
of  this  way." 

And  now,  she  said,  if  she  could  not  go  away  from  thai 
place,  she  could  take  some  one  down  with  her. 

While  we  were  conversing,  she  looked  around  and  told 
me  there  were  a  good  many  others  then  present  who  want- 
ed to  talk  to  me,  but  some  of  them  did  not  dare  look  at  me ; 
she  attempted  to  drive  them  away. 

I  told  her  those  were  the  feelings  that  kept  her  down 
where  she  was ;  that  instead  of  desiring  to  take  any  one 
down  there,  she  must  wish  to  lift  some  one  up ;  that  in- 
stead of  driving  them  away  from  the  road  which  .was 
opened  for  her  escape,  she  ought  to  labor  to  help  others 
find  it. 

She  said  no  light  came  where  she  was,  but  all  was  dark 
and  lonely. 

Once  she  told  me  to  lay  my  hand  on  her  head,  as  she 
was  sinking  down,  and  could  not  stay  without  my  help. 


SPIRITUALISM.  109 

She  asked  if  she  might  come  again,  and  gave  me  as  her 
signal  a  pressure  with  the  right  hand,  and  her  left  hand  on 
my  head. 

She  complained  of  the  light  in  my  room  as  very  op- 
pressive, and  I  was  compelled  to  darken  it. 

The  next  that  came  was  a  man.  The  first  thing  he  said 
was  to  ask  me  if  I  ever  got  drunk  ?  He  said  the  cup  had 
ruined  him.  He  was  the  husband  of  the  last  woman,  and 
he  hated  her  bitterly.  He  said  she  ruined  him  and  Jane, 
and  she  deserved  to  suffer.  He  thanked  God,  he  said,  he 
did  not  live  away  down  where  they  were.  He  said  murder, 
suicide,  and  drunkenness  surrounded  him  while  on  earth. 
He  did  not  murder  nor  commit  suicide,  but  died  of  delirium 
tremens. 

When  I  talked  to  him  of  repentance  and  atonement,  and 
working  out  his  own  salvation,  he  asked  me  how?  And 
I  told  him  by  doing  good  to  others,  and  first  and  foremost, 
to  his  wife,  by  helping  to  elevate  her.  Thus  he  would  not 
only  aid  her,  but  himself  by  subduing  the  feelings  of  ha- 
tred and  revenge  toward  her,  which  bound  him  down  to 
his  present  condition,  and  would  ever  bind  him  there. 

His  signal  was  three  grasps  of  the  hand. 

The  next  that  came  seemed  to  be  a  sea-captain.  His 
manner  was  rude  and  rough.  He  had  been  a  cruel  and 
drinking  man.  He  had  made  the  men  stand  round,  he 
said,  and  used  the  cat-o'-nine-tails  pretty  freely.  He  asked 
me  if  I  thought  that  fellow  he  kicked  overboard  was 
drowned  !  He  said  he  was  a  mean  fellow,  anyhow.  He 
asked  me  several  times  for  something  to  drink.  Inquired 
if  I  was  pilot  there  ?  He  had  been  told  that  through  me 
he  could  find  a  way  of  getting  out  from  where  he  was.  I 
told  him  the  way  was  by  repentance  and  atonement.  He 
asked  what  I  meant  by  repentance  ? 

"  Why,  did  you  never  hear  of  that  when  here?" 
"  Yes,  but  1  never  paid  any  attention  to  it." 


200  SPIRITUALISM. 

"  Well  then,  you  must  bow  your  heart  before  God  with 
true  sorrow  for  your  hardness  and  cruelty." 

"  I  can't  do  that;  I  can't  knock  under.  I  must  keep  my 
flag  at  mast-head." 

"  What !  in  defiance  of  God  ?    Then  I  can  not  pilot  you." 

"  But  what  must  I  do  ?" 

"Do  good  to  y^ur  fellows.  For  every  blow  you  have 
struck,  do  a  good  deed  to  some  one  else." 

"  Well,  but  what  is  a  good  deed  ?" 

"  Any  thing  that  forgets  self  and  seeks  to  benefit  others. 
Go  forth  among  your  associates,  tell  them  of  the  way  that 
is  opened  to  them,  and  help  them  in  it." 

"  There  is  a  hell  of  a  stir  down  there  now  about  it.  I 
met  Jack  on  the  way.  He  said  he  had  been  here,  and  now 
he  has  left  us." 

"  Well,  you  can  leave  too,  if  you  will.  But  you  must 
work  for  it  yourself,  and  first  by  subduing  the  feelings 
which  now  you  cherish." 

He  paused  for  some  time  and^  asked  if  he  might  come 
again  ? 

I  said,  'No — not  unless  he  could  bring  me  an  account  of 
some  good  he  had  done  in  the  mean  time. 

''  Suppose  I  bring  a  fellow  with  me,  will  that  do  ?" 

"Yes,  if  you  will  first  explain  to  him  all  I've  said  to 
you." 

He  then  gave  me  a  signal  by  which  I  should  know  him, 
viz. :  three  slaps  on  the  back  of  my  hand,  and  he  left. 

The  next  that  came  was  a  young  man  who  began  by 
asking  me  if  I  was  a  father  ?  He  then  told  me,  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  that  he  had  been  a  very,  very  disobedient  son. 
That  he  was  delicate,  and  had  been  tenderly  nurtured. 
That  his  father  never  denied  him  any  indulgence,  until  at 
the  age  of  twenty  he  fell  in  love  with  a  female  who  was 
purity  itself,  but  was  poor.  And  his  father  interfered  to 
break  up  the  attachment,  and  was  going  to  bind  him  appren- 
tice on  board  of  a  ship,  and  send  him  away.    So  in  his  wrath 


SPIRITUALISM.  201 

he  cursed  his  father  and  ran  away,  and  ere  long  died  the 
death  of  a  dog  in  a  foreign  land.  He  had  loved  his  father, 
but  his  mother  did  not  care  much  for  him. 

He  said  that  when  he  died,  his  heart  was  full  of  a  feeling 
of  revenge  toward  his  father,  and  he  rejoiced  at  the  sorrow 
which  he  knew  his  father  would  feel  at  his  death.  He  had 
taken  that  same  feeling  with  him  into  the  spirit-world, 
which  he  had  only  lately  entered,  and  had  there  cherished 
it  and  gloated  over  the  idea  of  the  tears  his  father  shed  at 
his  loss.  And  with  much  bitterness  he  said,  "I  have  had 
my  revenge !" 

He  told  me  that  ever  since  he  had  been  in  the  spirit- 
world  he  had  wandered  alone  over  a  bleak,  desolate,  and 
uninhabited  country,  where  there  was  just  light  enough  to 
see  how  gloomy  and  dreary  it  was.  That  he  had  heard 
that  I  could  show  him  the  way  out,  and  he  had  come  to 
see  if  I  could.  There  were  a  gi-eat  many  others  coming, 
and  he  was  so  heavy  that  he  could  not  ascend  up  to  me 
without  help.  He  described  his  dreary  life,  wandering 
ever  thus  alone,  brooding  over  the  single  thought  of  his 
revenge  upon  his  father. 

I  asked  him  if  he  had  never  been  taught  the  lesson  of  the 
saving  power  of  love  ? 

He  said  he  had  not,  nor  was  he  at  all  aware,  till  I  told 
him,  that  it  was  this  train  of  evil  thought  which  he  cher- 
ished which  had  caused  all  his  suffering.  I  told  him  how 
all  nature  was  bound  together  by  the  attractive  power  of 
love,  and  repelled  necessarily  by  its  opposite.  That  so 
long  as  he  cherished  that  opposite,  it  was  as  inevitable  that 
he  must  wander  alone,  as  it  was  that  he  should  burn  his 
finger  if  he  put  it  in  the  fire.  That  as  soon  as  he  would 
cherish  a  spirit  of  love,  he  would  attract  others  to  him  and 
he  would  cease  to  be  alone.  And  that  if  he  wished  to 
ascend  from  his  condition  of  misery,  he  must  be  obedient 
to  the  law  of  love,  and  show  it  forth  in  subduing  all  selfish- 
ness and  aiding  others.  That,  first  of  all,  he  must  revive 
his  love  for  his  father,  and  as  soon  as  he  could,  approach 


202  SPIRITUALISM. 

him  and  breath  upon  him  a  soothing  influence.  In  the 
mean  time,  he  must  begin  his  task  by  laboring  for  those 
who  were  around  him  in  his  world. 

He  asked  me  how  he  should  do  this,  and  where  he  should 
begin  ? 

I  answered  that  he  must  descend  from  his  solitariness 
and  mingle  with  others,  even  if  their  society  was  distasteful 
to  him ;  and  there  he  would,  if  he  sought  them,  find  op- 
portunities enough  to  benefit  others.  He  would  find  many 
poor  wretches  whom  he  could  aid  in  a  thousand  ways,  and 
he  could  at  least  go  among  them,  repeat  the  lesson  I  had 
given  him,  show  them  the  way  to  escape  which  he  had 
found  and  thus  become  an  apostle  to  teach  the  truth  for 
the  redemption  of  man  even  in  these  gloomy  regions. 

He  said  he  would  do  so,  that  he  did  love  his  father,  and 
began  even  to  love  me,  and  asked  if  he  might  come  again '? 

I  said.  Yes,  provided  he  would  do  some  good  to  some  of 
those  around  him. 

He  asked  me  if  he  should  bring  one  with  him  the  next 
time,  and  if  that  would  not  do  ? 

I  replied.  Yes,  that  would  be  something  toward  it,  but  he 
must  occupy  himself  so  intensely  in  doing  good  to  others 
as  to  forget  himself  and  the  evil  thoughts  over  which  he 
had  brooded  so  long. 

I  inquired  if  there  were  many  spirits  from  that  dark 
country  now  present  ? 

He  said,  Yes,  a  good  many,  but  they  could  not  come  near 
me  except  through  this  channel. 

I  asked  if  they  could'nt  hear  and  be  benefited  by  what  I 
said  to  him  and  others? 

He  looked  around  slowly  and  answered,  some  of  them 
could,  but  some  were  so  thick  they  could  not. 

He  then  gave  me  a  signal  by  which  I  should  know  him, 
placing  his  hand  on  my  heart  as  a  token  of  afiection,  as  he 
termed  it. 

I  congratulated  him  on  this  early  evidence  of  the  pres- 
ence of  redeeming  love  with  him,  and  he  left  us. 


SPIBITUALISU.  203 


.^ftlion  Stljtntten 


Sunday^  Sept.  25th,  1853. 
The  circle  met  at  the  Doctor's,  and  I  became  influenced. 

I  SAW  a  large  concourse  of  dark  spirits  assembled  in  front 
of  a  large  building,  which  was  misshapen  and  rude  in  form, 
and  a  good  deal  dilapidated.  In  front  of  it  was  an  open 
lot,  the  soil  of  which  was  that  dark,  fine  sand,  and  in  it 
grew  here  and  there  a  sickly  weed.  The  whole  scene  bore 
an  air  of  neglect.  'The  building  could  be  entered  by  a 
broad  flight  of  rude  steps.  On  the  platform,  at  the  top  of 
the  stairs,  three  spirits  were  seated  in  chairs,  as  if  presid- 
ing. Around  them,  on  the  platform,  were  a  number  who 
seemed  most  intimate  with  them  and  occasionally  talked 
with  them. 

It  seemed  that  this  was  their  judicatory,  and  they  had 
been  trying  some  of  their  number  for  violating  their  laws. 
The  culprits  had  been  condemned,  and  were  then  undergo- 
ing their  punishment,  directly  in  front  of  that  building, 
where  I  saw  quite  a  crowd  was  assembled. 

In  their  midst  an  upright  beam  had  been  erected  with 
two  cross-pieces  at  its  top  making  four  arms,  which  re- 
volved around  the  upright  as  their  center.  The  arms  were 
eight  or  ten  feet  long,  and  twelve  or  fourteen  from  the 
ground.  At  the  end  of  each  arm  a  human  being  was  sus- 
pended by  cords  fastened  to  their  wrists  or  their  thumbs. 
The  position  of  the  poor  wretches  was  of  itself  very  painful, 
and  they  writhed  and  screamed  in  their  agony.  Biit  the  arms 
were  made  to  revolve,  and  as  the  condemned  were  thus 
borne  along  just  over  the  heads  of  the  crowd,  I  saw  that 
the  spectators,  amid  shouts  and  laughter,,  tormented  them 


204:  SPIRITUALISM. 

as  they  passed,  some  by  whipping  them,  some  by  piercing 
them  with  sharp  instruments,  and  some  by  applying  fire 
to  different  parts  of  their  bodies.  But  I  saw  that  no  one 
there  enjoyed  the  horrible  scene  more  than  did  he  who  sat 
in  the  middle  of  the  three  judges,  and  seemed  to  be  the 
presiding  genius  of  the  scene.  He  reclined  easily  back  in 
his  chair,  and  with  a  smile  of  great  complacency  chatted 
familiarly  with  those  around  him,  who,  it  seemed  to  me, 
were  like  parasites,  praising  his  judgment! 

I  passed  away  from  the  scene  shuddering,  and  soon  came 
to  a  high,  abrupt  precipice,  on  the  summit  of  which  I  saw 
three  females  walking.  Two  of  them  approached  the  very 
edge  of  the  precipice  and  looked  down.  The  other  re- 
mained some  distance  back,  and  remarked  that  she  could 
never  bear  a  dizzy  height,  it  always  made  her  so  sick. 
Upon  this  hint  the  others  acted.  They  approached  her 
blandly,  and  as  soon  as  they  got  near  enough,  they  seized 
her  and  dragged  her  to  the  edge  of  the  precipice.  There 
they  held  her  in  defiance  of  her  struggles  and  agony,  just 
over  the  beetling  edge,  seeming  to  threaten  to  throw  her 
off,  and  occasionally  professing  to  relax  their  hold  upon 
her.  They  enjoyed  it  heartily,  and  I  observed  that  her 
screams  of  agony  and  theirs  of  laughter  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  the  passers-by  below  them,  who  paused  in  their 
way,  also  enjoyed  the  scene,  and  applauded  the  actors 
in  it. 

I  passed  away  from  that  scene  also,  and  came  near  to  a 
large  concourse  of  dark  spirits,  who  were  very  intently  en- 
gaged in  preparing  something,  which  from  their  numbers  I 
could  not  see.  Everywhere  thus  far  I  had  seen  laughter 
and  merriment,  such  as  it  was ;  but  here  I  saw  a  serious, 
earnest,  concentrated  feeling,  apparently  of  intense  hate. 
There  was  no  laughter,  but  a  stern  determination  seem- 
ed to  pervade  them  all.  With  all  my  efforts  I  could  not 
discover  exactly  what  they  were  doing,  but  I  read  their 
thoughts  enough  to  perceive  that  they  were  engaged  in 
some  plan  to  interrupt,  if  possible,  our  operations  through 


SPIRITUALISM.  205 

this  spiritual  intercourse  with  us.     And  I  left  the  scene 
while  they  were  thus  engaged. 

During  the  time  that  I  was  seeing  this,  I  was  conversing  with  Mr. 
Warren  about  a  difficulty  which  he  suggested  of  understanding  what  it 
was  that  impelled  spirits  thus  to  descend,  even  when  they  had  a  wish 
to  stop  short  of  that. 

As  soon  as  the  Doctor  could  be  influenced,  it  was  written  through  him  : 

You  ask  why  those  spirits  descend  to  those  dark  places  ? 
The  reason  is  obvious.  The  great  law  of  like  attracting 
like  obtains  throughout  the  whole  of  the  spheres.  When 
a  departed  spirit  enters  into  the  spheres,  he  is  at  once  at- 
tracted where  he  finds  congeniality  of  place  and  persons. 
They  could  not  be  happy  in  the  bright  spheres.  They 
could  find  no  enjoyment  where  there  is  either  virtue  or 
goodness.  Thus  their  first  efforts  are  to  locate  themselves 
where  the  acquired  attributes  of  mind  in  all  its  workings 
may  be  gratified.  Their  bodies  are  gross  and  their  minds 
still  grosser.  ISTow  there  is  in  this  condition  of  both  body 
and  mind  a  state  which  rejects  magnetically  all  above,  and 
they  are  compelled  to  return  whence  they  came  when  they 
are  by  any  means  brought  or  force  themselves  into  a  place 
above  them.  As  when  on  earth  a  mind  gradually  becomes 
perverse,  it  seeks,  from  the  very  attributes  it  has  forced  on 
itself,  a  correspondence  with  that  state  where  its  every  feel- 
ing may  be  most  manifest.  They  obey  the  law  observable 
in  all  nature,  that  every  thing  seeks  its  kind  and  is  com- 
pelled to  retain  that  connection. 

You  have  been  taught  that  the  good  spirit,  on  its  en- 
trance into  the  spheres,  enters  a  condition  where  its  affini- 
ties may  develop  themselves.  Kow,  if  they  are  continually 
rising,  they  will  seek  spheres  above  them,  but  if  they  only 
maintain  that  state,  they  do  not  progress.  But  if  they  do 
not  even  maintain  their  first  estate,  they  must  seek  a  con- 
dition absolutely  corresponding  with  the  feelings  which 
they  have  generated  by  their  retrogression. 

Compulsion  arises  from  the  equal  action  of  the  law  of 


206  SPIRITUALISM. 

affinity,  and  is  manifest  as  much  in  the  higher  as  in  the 
lower  spheres.  Take,  for  instance,  a  man  born,  and  with- 
out being  permitted  to  go  into  the  world,  he  is  shut  up  in  a 
dungeon,  and  while  there  is  taught  every  thing  wicked. 
I^ow  this  man  dies.  Where  does  his  spirit  seek  for  its  res- 
idence? Why,  exactly  where  his  feelings  may  have  the 
greatest  chance  of  display. 

jN'ow,  if  by  chance  he  rises  to  a  spot  where  there  is  more 
of  goodness  than  where  he  is,  the  force  of  his  desires  com- 
pels him  to  return,  and  though  he  may  desire  to  stay  there, 
he  knows  without  he  is  incited  by  some  development  of 
new  desires  that  he  is  forced  back  by  the  omnipotent  influ- 
ence of  the  old  feelings. 

The  reasons  are  plain,  and  need  no  more  explanation. 

Bacon. 

One  thing  more :  when  a  spirit  returns  to  a  sphere  above 
him  (a  wicked  spirit),  he  seeks  in  those  with  whom  he  has 
this  new  acquaintance  the  feelings  in  them  which  most 
correspond  to  his  own.  This  is  one  reason  why  it  is  said 
the  devil  tempts  you.  It  is  only  the  correspondence  of 
like  with  like,  good  or  bad,  which,  like  chemical  affinities, 
mingle  wherever  they  exist,  without  they  are  protected  by 
some  counteracting  desire  for  good  which  thus  overcomes 
the  effects  which  the  bad  spirits  wish  to  produce.  No 
spirit  can  become  bad  all  at  once  or  good  suddenly,  and  the 
law  of  progression  and  retrogression  is  in  full  force  in  both 
conditions  of  good  or  evil. 

The  teachings  seemed  to  have  ceased.  I  inquired  about  the  manifest- 
al-ions  during  the  day  and  the  previous  night. 

It  was  written : 

Yes,  but  you  must  learn  that  a  truly  evil  spirit  is  a  devil 
in  sub  til  ty  and  artifice. 

I  said  I  had  not  overlooked  that,  but  I  questioned  as  to  what  good  had 
been  done  ? 

It  was  answered : 

Why,  neither  you,  nor  I,  nor  others,  can  judge  of  the 


SPIRITUALISM.  207 

effect  yet.  That  you  did  right,  no  one  doubts.  The  result 
time  will  tell.  I  mean  your  method  was  good,  and  every 
thing  was  done  in  such  a  manner  as  would  do  good,  if  good 
could  be  done. 

Then  it  was  written : 

I^ow,  for  the  benefit  of  all,  and  especially  the  Judge,  we 
shall  retire,  but  if  possible,  if  the  circle  can  meet  to-mor- 
row night,  much  can  be  done  for  good,  and  the  manifest- 
ations will  be  more  than  usual  through  all  the  mediums. 
I  wish  it  could  be,  but  you  must  not  let  Mrs.  F.  be  influ- 
enced in  the  least  till  to-morrow  night. 

I  said,  But  I  had  appointed  the  spirits  who  spake  through  her  to  meet 
me  to-morrow  afternoon  at  four  o'clock,  and  I  did  not  want  to  break  ray 
engagement. 

It  was  written :  ' 

Dear  Judge,  you  must  know  that  those  who  have  been 
with  you  so  long  have  privileges  of  knowing  all  circum- 
stances perhaps  in  advance  of  most  spirits.  "We  have  per- 
mitted many  things  to  be  said,  but  for  yourself  and  for 
others,  we  advise  you  to  defer  the  meeting  until  night. 

We  agreed  to  that,  and  took  our  departure. 


208  SPIEITUALISM. 


uiion  if igjtetn. 


Monday,  Sept.  26th,  1853. 

This  evening  all  the  circle  met  at  my  house.  Mrs.  F.  was  also 
present. 

We  waited  a  little  while  for  the  Doctor,  who  was  detained  by  a  pro- 
fessional engagement.  While  thus  waiting,  an  unhappy  influence 
came  upon  Mrs.  F.  She  resisted  it,  and  with  my  aid  she  finally  drove 
it  off.  But  it  affected  me  almost  as  much  as  it  did  her,  and  it  distressed 
me,  both  in  body  and  mind,  more  than  any  spiritual  influence  I  had 
ever  felt.  It  continued  with  me  even  after  it  had  left  her,  and  im- 
mediately after  the  Doctor  came  in  I  was  impelled  to  go  to  the  table 
and  read  the  prayer. 

Mr  interior  perceptions  were  then  opened,  and  I  was  en- 
abled to  see  the  spirits  whicli  surrounded  us.  Behind 
where  I  sat,  and  around  that  part  of  the  circle,  I  perceived 
the  bright  light  of  the  good  spirits,  but  directly  in  front  of 
me  and  behind  the  Doctor,  who  sat  facing  me,  I  saw  a 
large  concourse  of  dark  spirits  at  a  short  distance  off. 
That  part  of  the  circle  was  A-y  dark.  The  Doctor  was 
entirely  enveloped  with  the  somber  atmosphere,  so  much  so 
that  the  brighter  spirits,  it  seemed,  could  not  approach  him 
near  enough  to  communicate  through  him.  The  dark  spir- 
its were  a  very  compact  body,  extending  quite  in  the  dis- 
tance, so  that  with  the  darkness  their  rear  was  hidden  from 
my  view.  They  were  led  by  one  person  who  seemed  to  have 
been  chosen  from  his  energy  and  decision  of  character. 
He  wsm.  immediately  attended  by  quite  a  number  who 
seemeoio  be  a  sort  of  council  for  him,  whose  minds  were 
inferior  to  his,  but  evidently  superior  to  the  great  mass 
who  were  behind  him.  The  feelings  with  which  they  had 
approached    our  circle  were  very  apparent,   and   now  I 


I 


/ 


ft 


SPIEITIJALISM.  209 

plainly  understood  what  they  had  been  planning  and 
arranging  when  I  had  seen  them  the  previous  evening. 
They  were  ignorant  that  I  had  thus  seen  them,  yet  my 
having  done  so  had  put  me  on  my  guard,  had  prevented 
my  being  surprised  by  so  novel  an  exhibition,  and  enabled 
me  to  act  understandingly. 

It  seemed  that  my  utterance  of  the  prayer,  and  the  union 
of  the  minds  of  the  circle  upon  it,  had  partially  interrupted 
their  advance.  I  saw,  however,  they  soon  rallied,  and 
were  preparing  to  force  their  way  nearer  to  us,  and  I 
entreated  the  circle  with  one  accord  to  fix  their  thoughts 
upon  God,  and  our  reliance  on  his  power  and  mercy. 
The  effect  of  their  doing  so  was  instantly  apparent.  That 
dark  band  was  thrown  into  confusion.  Its  leader  turned 
his  back  to  us  and  harangued  his  associates  with  a  great 
deal  of  vehemence.  He  stamped  his  foot,  gnashed  his 
teeth,  and  gesticulated  violently.  The  order  and  regularity 
which  I  had  observed  among  his  companions  were  dis- 
turbed. The  whole  crowd,  and  particularly  the  front  rank, 
were  agitated,  and  they  stirred  among  themselves  as  if 
debating  what  to  do. 

At  this  moment  the  Doctor's  hand  was  influenced,  and  he  wrote  : 

Read  the  prayer,  and  add  this  to  it. 

And  oh  !  our  God  !  enabl||»s  when  we  feel  the  manifest- 
ations of  thy  almighty  power,  that  we  may  earnestly  hope 
to  subdue  within  us  all  that  tends  to  retard  its  exhibition, 
and  humbly  to  desire  that  by  the  innate  properties  of  our 
connection  with  thee,  we  may  realize  that  either  in  good 
or  evil  thou  art  with  us. 

I  obeyed  the  direction,  and  again  turned  my  attention  to 
our  unwelcome  visitors.  It  seemed  as  if  they  coifll  not 
advance  any  nearer,  but  had  determined  not  to  retire,  but 
remain  at  hand  ready  to  take  advantage  of  any  contingency. 
They  were  again  quiet  and  orderly,  and  stood  in  dogged 
silence  looking  on,  and  casting  abroad  their  influence  as 

14 


210  SPIKITUALISM. 

far  as  was  in  their  power.  It  readied  past  the  Doctor  to 
me,  and  I  was  very  much  agitated  and  distressed.  I  now, 
for  the  first  time,  discovered  that  my  own  will  was  not 
strong  enough  to  rid  me  of  their  presence,  as  it  always  be- 
fore had  been,  and  I  buried  my  face  in  my  hands  and  for 
the  first  time  in  my  life  earnestly,  though  silently,  prayed 
to  God  for  his  aid  and  protection,  for  never  before  had  I 
been  made  so  conscious  of  needing  it.  I  had  relied  upon 
myself  and  my  own  power,  but  now  had  fearful  evidence 
how  frail  was  my  dependence. 

Immediately  after  thus  addressing  the  throne  of  Himj  it  was  written 
through  the  Doctor : 

For  thee  alone.  Judge, 

By  the  power  of  thy  just  intentions,  by  the  good  thou 
seekest  to  perform  toward  thy  race,  we,  thy  friends,  direct 
thee  to  mentally  command  the  absence  of  those  spirits, 
whose  presence  is  so  annoying,  in  the  name  of  God,  and 
they  will  obey  thy  command. 

This  was  signed  with  an  unintelligible  scrawl. 

This  direction  also  I  obeyed,  and  for  at  least  ten  minutes  I  sat  amid 
the  entire  silence  of  the  circle,  as  sternly  and  as  resolutely  as  I  was 
able,  commanding  that  band  of  dark  spirits  to  retire.  They  reminded 
me  that  I  had  promised  to  have  further  interviews  with  some  of  them, 
and  demanded  the  performance  of  my  promise.  I  refused,  however,  to 
listen  to  such  a  consideration  at  that  moment,  and  from  them  thus 
banded  together,  and  insisted  that  they  should  depart. 

All  this  was  done  mentally,  and  at  length  I  began  to  perceive  that 
they  were  departing.  They  faded  gradually  from  my  view,  and  seemed 
lost  amid  the  somber  cloud  which  had  hung  over  them. 

While  I  was  becoming  conscious  of  this,  it  was  written  through  the 
Doctor : 

What  now,  my  friend  ?  are  they  gone  ? 

I  replied  they  were,  and  then  it  was  added 

This  is  the  first  concentrated  effort  made  by  those 
spirits  who,  we  told  you  some  time  ago,  had  organized 


SPIRITUALISM.  211 

together  to  prevent  all  good  through  your  circle's  efforts. 
They  will  not  trouble  you  again  without  you  admit  them. 

Now  we  will  introduce  a  spirit  truly  anxious  to  rise. 
She  will  make  gentle  impressions  on  Mrs.  F.,  and  you  will 
see  the  difference.     Direct  her  to  God  !  l\ 

o^ow  I  can  sign  my  name,  Bacon. 

Let  not  your  hearts  be  troubled,  for  in  love,  in  the 
glorious  garb  of  truth  we  are  arrayed,  and  no  harm  can 
come,  for  in  the  name  of  the  most  high  God  we  are  now 
with  you. 

Judge,  for  one  moment  be  silent  and  see  the  dazzling 
glory  which  surrounds  us.  Bacon. 

SWEEDENBORG. 

I  then  saw  around  the  circle  light  clouds  rolling  gently 
and  in  easy,  grateful  forms,  and  of  most  brilliant  colors. 
They  were  white,  like  banks  of  snow  rolling  one  above 
another,  and  beautifully  tinged  and  colored  with  rose,  blue, 
crimson,  and  purple  hues.  Floating  among  them,  and  ap- 
pearing and  disappearing,  were  many  bright  and  happy 
spirits,  who  seemed  full  of  gladness  and  affection.  They 
seemed  to  be  rejoicing  that  they  could  again  surround  us. 
I  observed,  however,  at  the  spot  where  those  dark  spirits 
had  been,  the  light  of  the  clouds  was  paler  and  more  dim, 
as  if  their  influence  had  left  its  taint  behind  them. 

And  I  am  now,  as  I  write,  reminded  of  one  incident  of 
the  former  scene  which  I  forgot,  and  namely,  that  while  I 
was  sitting  sternly  regarding  that  dark  band,  and  com- 
manding them  to  begone,  I  saw  a  streak  of  very  white 
light  shooting  its  rays  like  the  aurora  borealis,  that  came 
from  above  and  shot  swiftly  down,  angularly,  about  mid- 
way between  us  and  the  dark  spirits.  I  saw  that  it  cast 
no  refulgence  beyond  its  own  immediate  limits,  and  even 
failed  to  light  up  the  dark  soil  on  which  it  struck;  but  it 
seemed  to  be  a  barrier  like  a  wall  of  light  between  them 
and  us,  yet  so  transparent  that  I  could  easily  see  through  it. 


212  SPIRITUALISM. 

But  to  return.  After  I  had  described  that  glorious  scene  to  the  circle, 
it  was  written : 

"!N'ow  look  at  Sweedehborg  in  the  glory  of  his  sphere." 
I  looked,  and  saw  amid  those  brilliant  clouds  a  bright 
spirit  standing.  There  issued  from  him  a  bright  light 
which  surrounded  his  whole  form  with  a  halo  of  golden 
and  silver  colored  rays  that  shot  out  from  him  in  all  direc- 
tions for  the  space  of  three  or  four  feet  from  his  person. 
Outside  this  halo  were  many  other  spirits,  less  distinctly 
seen,  who  seemed  to  be  attending  on  him. 

Then  it  was  written : 

Describe  his  face  and  figure. 

I  did  so,  nearly,  in  these  words  : 

He  was  tall  and  majestic,  and  was  enveloped  in  a 
flowing  garment  of  pure  white  which  descended  to  and 
covered  his  feet.  His  hair  was  long,  dark  colored,  and, 
parted  on  his  forehead,  flowed  down  in  curls  to  his 
shoulders.  His  forehead  was  broad  and  expanded,  and 
was  of  a  most  dazzling  whiteness,  seemingly  transparent. 
The  top  of  his  head  was  high,  and  he  seemed  to  be  dis- 
tinguished for  benevolence  and  capacity  of  intellect. 
His  eyebrows  were  heavy  and  projecting,  and  his  eyes 
were  black  and  large  and  very  glowing  and  bright.  All 
his  features  were  prominent,  particularly  his  nose  and 
lower  jaw.  His  upper  lip  easily  trembled  with  emotion, 
but  showed  great  firmness  and  self-controL  In  his  left 
hand  he  held  a  book.  On  his  breast  was  a  metallic  plate, 
like  those  which  the  Jewish  high-prieste  wore,  but  I  could 
not  see  what  were  its  emblazonments.  He  raised  his  right 
hand  and  pointed  upward,  with  a  look  of  great  enthusiasm 
and  devotion. 

And  thus  the  scene  faded  from  my  view. 

Mrs.  F.  then  became  influenced,  and  it  was  written  : 

The  Judge  and  Mrs.  D.  will  take  her  hands. 

We  did  so,  and  then  had  this  manifestation  : 


SPIRITUALISM.  213 

She  shed  tears,  and  seemed  greatly  distressed,  and  at 
length,  in  a  voice  full  of  emotion,  she  cried,  "  Help  !"  I 
told  her  that  help  was  at  hand  for  those  who  earnestly 
sought  it. 

After  a  severe  struggle  she  said,  "  I  want  my  child." 

I  asked  if  her  child  was  in  our  sphere  ? 

She  made  me  no  reply ;  but  after  a  while,  with  great 
agony,  she  said,  ""Would  you  tear  out  your  own  heart? 
"Would  you  stab  your  own  child  ?" 

I  told  her  that  even  for  that  there  was  forgiveness. 

"  "Where  shall  I  seek  it?"  she  cried. 

I  answered,  "  Of  God.  You  have  but  to  kneel  before 
him  in  true  devotion,  and  ask  with  a  contrite  heart.  ITone 
are  so  vile  but  they  may  be  forgiven.  Kepent  of  the  evil 
past,  and  atone  for  it.  Mourn  not  for  the  consequences 
of  crime,  but  for  the  sin  itself,  and  a  door  will  be  open 
to  you." 

She  asked,  "Where?" 

I  answered,  "  In  your  own  heart  Bury  there  the  mem- 
ory of  past  sin  in  the  consciousness  of  present  good.  Blot 
out  the  memory  of  former  wrongs  by  doing  good  now. 
Are  there  not  many  around  you  to  whom  you  can  yet  do 
good — whom  you  yet  can  aid  and  relieve  ?" 

Her  only  answer  was,  "  Oh,  help  me  !" 

I  answered,  "  I  will  help,  but  you  must  follow  my  in- 
structions. Help  yourself — labor  for  your  own  redemption 
— work  out  your  own  salvation  yourself — purify  your  own 
heart  by  subduing  all  selfishness." 

She  cried,  "  Dare  I  to  hope  ?" 

I  told  her  she  might  well  hope,  if  devoutly  and  with  a 
contrite  heart  she  would  humble  herself  before  God  and 
seek  his  aid. 

She  then  knelt  and  cried,  "  God  the  Father  !  help  !" 
Seeing  her  so  overcome  with  emotion  that  she  seemed  un- 
able to  form  her  own  prayer,  I  asked  her  to  repeat  after 
me,  and  then  said,  "  Our  Father,  who  art  in  Heaven." 

She  interrupted  me.     "  Oh,  not  mine !  not  mine !" 


214:  SPIRITUALISM. 

I  told  her  yes  ;  hers,  if  she  but  earnestly  desired  it. 

Then,  with  a  shudder,  and  looking  behind  her,  she  whis- 
pered to  me,  "  That  evil  spirit !" 

I  told  her  to  fear  not :  they  could  not  disturb  her  while 
she  was  with  us  ;  that  we  were  surrounded  by  good  spirits, 
who  would  be  glad  to  approach  her  and  aid  her  more  than 
we  could ;  that  they  were  kept  away  from  her  only  by  her- 
self; and  in  proportion  as  she  should  ardently  desire  their 
aid,  would  they  be  able  to  come  near  her  and  take  her  by 
the  hand. 

While  I  was  speaking,  she  seemed  to  be  listening,  as  it 
were,  to  a  distant  voice,  and  at  length  said,  "  Whisper  it 
again." 

I  bid  her  be  of  good  cheer ;  they  were  drawing  nigh. 

"  Oh!"  she  cried,  "teach  me  to  pray." 

I  told  her* the  true  way  to  pray  was  to  feel  the  might, 
the  mercy,  and  presence  of  God ;  to  acknowledge  in  her 
heart  her  dependence  on  him ;  that  every  good  deed  was  a 
prayer,  and  that  she  could  not  more  earnestly  pray  than  by 
doing  good  to  others. 

At  length  she  said,  "  I  see  the  light,  do  you  know !  I 
see  the  light ;  it  is  coming  near.  Do  you  not  hear  their 
voices  ?  Is  that  my  mother's  face  ?  It  is  !  it  is  !  She 
comes!  she  comes!  Joy!  joy!  joy!  Lift  me  up.  I'm 
coming  up  !     I'm  free  !" 

I  told  her  it  was  the  truth  had  made  her  free. 

She  cried  to  me,  ''Hold  me  up;  bind  fast  the  cord 
around  my  arms,  that  you  may  lift  me.  Kow,  now  my 
feet  are  established.     I  take  hold  on  eternal  life." 

And  then,  while  we  were  reflecting  how  soon  His  mercy 
comes  to  those  who  earnestly  seek  it,  she  left  us.* 

*  While  we  were  correcting  our  papers  for  the  press,  this  same  spirit  mani- 
fested herself  through  one  of  the  mediums,  and  said : 

"  I'm  here.  I  am  happier  now ;  tell  them  so.  After  waiting  so  long  in 
darkness,  I  begin  to  see  the  light,  and  am  happier.  I  believe  now  He  is  my 
God,  for  I  feel  his  love  everywhere.  Pardon  me  for  coming  thus ;  but  my  joy 
was  beyond  bounds  that  I  had  thus  begun  to  advance." 


SPIRITUALISM.  216 

Mrs.  F.  then  sank  "back  in  her  chair  in  a  state  of  unconsciousness.  It 
was  then  written  : 

She  will  revive  in  a  moment  perfectly  restored.  This  is 
the  effect  of  a  true  manifestation. 

The  intention  of  these  manifestations  was  to  enable  you 
to  judge  of  the  true  and  false,  and  for  this  we  permitted, 
what  has  never  before  been  allowed,  the  admission  of  so 
many  dark  spirits  into  the  pale  of  your  circle ;  and  for  this 
we  have  indeed  fought  and  conquered. 

Bacon  and  all. 

I  then  made  some  remarks  showing  my  suspicion  that  all  the  mani- 
festations on  Sunday  had  been  from  spirits  evilly  disposed,  and  for  mis- 
chievous purposes ;  and  as  I  saw  Mrs.  F.  was  becoming  influenced 
again,  I  advised  efforts  to  resist  it. 

But  it  was  written  that  it  would  be  the  influence  of  a  bright  spirit, 
that  of  Bacon  himself. 

In  a  little  while  he  spoke  through  her  these  words  : 

Seekers  after  eternal  truth  !  Ye  do  well  to  analyze  all 
that  comes  before  your  understanding,  but  judge  not  too 
harshly  of  the  spirits.  I  see  you  will  repel  many  who  wish 
to  come,  and  to  whom  it  will  be  profitable  to  come.  I 
come  to  open  the  way  for  them.  You  would  have  re- 
pelled them  if  I  had  not  assumed  this  condition.  Some 
are  now  here  to  whom  you  have  promised  an  interview. 

But  I  inquired.  How  can  we  tell  that  they  are  so  ? 
He  answered  : 

If  they  present  the  signal  truly,  you  will  know  them,  and 
by  their  coming  a  second  time. 

Then  he  left  her,  and  another  spirit  manifested  himself  through  her. 

As  I  sat  by  her  side,  I  felt  that  it  was  the  spirit  who  had 
been  with  us  on  Saturday  night,  and  had  called  himself 
"  Misfortune." 

Some  one  asked  her  what  she  had  been  doing  since  her  last  visit  to  us  ?  She 
answered  :  "  What  have  I  been  doing  ?  •Rooting  out  of  my  heart  the  evil  pas- 
sions which  bound  me  darkly  below.  I  iih.  lifted  up,  and  am  working  ray  way 
to  heaven.     Adieu !     God's  blessing  on  you  all !" 


216  SPIBITUALISM. 

I  noticed  that  his  right  hand  was  clenched,  and  I  re- 
marked, "  Your  fist  doubled  again  ?" 

He  instantly  opened  his  hand,  and,  baring  his  arm, 
raised  it  up  before  me,  and  said,  "  Do  you  know  that 
sign  ?" 

I  told  him,  right  well ;  and  now  I  wanted  also  the  word. 

He  answered,  "Truth." 

He  then  added,  *'  Do  you  know  you  have  redeemed  me  ?" 

I  told  him  how  deeply  I  rejoiced  to  hear  it,  and  reminded 
him  that  I  had  told  him  that  such  a  result  would  give  me 
happiness  that  would  last  for  ages. 

He  then  said,  "I told  you  I'd  bring  another  with  me — 
Jane,  Jane !" 

Yes,  I  told  him  I  knew  he  had  sent  her,  and  I  had  heard 
from  others  that  he  had,  even  down  in  his  dark  abode,  in 
defiance  of  all  opposition,  proclaimed  the  glad  news  that  a 
way  was  opened  to  them,  and  I  had  thus  seen  that  he  could 
indeed  be  redeemed. 

He  answered,  "  I  am  redeemed  from  the  curse  of  sin  by 
your  aid.     You  have  saved  me." 

jN'ay.  I  replied  that  it  was  the  truth  which  had  saved 
him ;  "  the  truth  against  the  world." 

He  then  said,  "  Do  you  know  love's  subduing  power  ? 
I  hope !  now  I  hope  ?  I  can  not  tell  you  the  joy  it  brings. 
Do  you  know  what  rest  is  to  the  weary,  joy  to  the  heart- 
broken ?  Then  may  you  know  the  fullness  of  my  joy.  Do 
you  know  I  am  liberated  from  the  bonds  of  sin  and  de- 
spair, and  see  before  me  the  eternal  light  of  pure  blessed- 
ness ?" 

Then,  after  a  pause,  he  added,  "  I  told  you  I  could  tell 
you  something.  Listen.  Do  you  know  their  weapons  are 
prepared,  their  plans  laid  for  your  destruction?  Be  on 
your  guard  ;  they  would  be  glad  to  drag  you  down  to  their 
own  condition.  But  fear  not,  and  look  up,  whence  your 
strength  comes.  Man  of  God  !  labor  faithfully  in  this  sin- 
subduing  work.  It  takes  hold,  even  down  in  the  dark  re- 
gions where  I  have  dwelt ;  it  reaches  far  down  there,  and 


SPIRITUALISM.  217 

will  bring  up  the  fallen  to  realms  of  light  through  your 
action.  Accept  my  thanks ;  my  efforts  will  be  used  to  re- 
store those  who  are  now  so  degraded."  He 'added  that  he 
would  visit  me  again,  and  keep  me  advised  of  their  plans ; 
and  then  he  left. 

After  a  little  while  another  came,  and  began  by  laying 
his  hand  on  my  heart,  and  said  it  was  in  the  name  of  "  Af- 
fection." Do  you  know  the  signal  ?  Did  you  ever  instruct 
a  disobedient  child  ?" 

I  told  him  I  recognized  him,  and  hoped  his  wanderings 
had  ceased. 

He  said,  "  Do  you  know  that  that  unholy  resentment  to- 
ward my  father  does  not  burn  in  my  heart  now  ?  I  am 
changed  through  your  kind  aid.  I  now  try  to  ascend.  I 
look  up  to- the  bright  light  before  me.  You  helped  me. 
You  guided  an  erring  child  back  to  his  father's  love.  You 
have  reclaimed  a  wanderer  to  be  redeemed — awakened  his 
heart  to  repentance — awakened  a  desire  to  lay  hold  on 
eternal  life. 

"You  distrusted  me  ;  you  doubted  me  ?"  I  told  him  that 
was  true.  He  said,  "  You  were  wrong ;  your  doubts  re- 
pelled me.  Oh !  could  you  but  know  the  joy  of  a  par- 
doned heart !  Many  others  will  come  to  visit  you.  The 
way  is  now  opened.  But  take  notice  ;  there  are  two  ways." 
I  asked,  "  One  for  the  true,  and  one  for  the  false  ?"    "  Yes." 

"  How  shall  I  know  them  apart  ?" 

"  A  principle  shall  be  awakened  in  your  heart  by  which 
you  shall  know.  To  be  lost  and  to  be  saved  !  Is  not  that 
joy !  To  see  the  kindly  hand  extended  to  lift  you  up  ! 
the  love  that  lifts  us  up  !  You  are  my  friend  and  my  fa- 
ther. It  is  your  kindness  that  has  saved  me.  There  are 
many  there  wanting  to  be  enlightened  as  I  have  been  ;  do 
not  repel  them.  I  am  going  slowly  up  that  mountain  ;  the 
light  gradually  increases,  and  as  I  am  developed,  I  have  a 
hope — I  am  incited  to  look  forward  to  have  my  knowledge 
increased." 


218  .      SPIRITUALISM. 

I  told  him  that  if  he  would  but  earnestly  seek  it  he 
would  have  the  aid  of  bright  spirits  to  instruct  him. 

He  answered,  "lean  see  their  footsteps  now;  but  for 
you,  I  might  have  been  left  in  darkness." 

1  asked  him  who  first  sent  him  to  me  ? 

He  answered,  he  had  met  one  who  had  told  him  I  would 
help  him. 

He  added,  "  Another  channel  will  be  opened  by  which 
they  can  approach  you.  Then  I  will  come  again.  Now  I 
must  leave." 

So  he  left,  and  the  manifestations  closed,  except  some  private  ones. 

P.  S.  I  have  lately,  several  times  in  dreams  and  in  waking  thoughts, 
had  presented  to  me  the  idea  of  a  quarrel  with  my  father,  continuing 
for  years,  and  affecting  a  whole  life.  I  could  not  imagine  why  such 
unwelcome  thoughts  were  intruded  upon  me ;  but  now  I  see  how  well 
they  prepared  me  for  the  task  I  was  to  perform  with  this  unhappy  young 
man. 


Thursday,  Sept.  29,  1853. 
The  circle  met  at  my  house  this  evening.     All  were  present. 
It  was  written : 

The  meeting  of  your  circle  is  like  the  gathering  of  a 
company  of  soldiers  after  a  battle :  the  oflacers  look  over 
the  ranks,  and,  finding  them  all  safe  and  without  wound  or 
bruise,  rejoice  with  much  joy.  So  to-night  our  hearts  are 
moved  with  affection  and  love  toward  you  all,  friends,  and 
we  greet  you  in  the  name  of  God.  Bacon. 

Something  seems  to  be  necessary  in  explanation  after 
the  very  remarkable  manifestations  which  were  made  hero 


SPIRITUALISM.  219 

a  few  nights  ago,  and  the  real  intention  and  design  of  what 
was  then  represented  should  be  explained,  that  you  may 
understand  what  action  to  take  in  regard  to  them.  That 
you,  Judge,  or  either  of  you,  are  able  to  assist  in  your 
world  the  uneducated  and  degraded  to  learn  and  advance 
toward  what  is  good  and  true,  neither  yourselves  or  others 
can  doubt.  There  is  a  principle  of  the  spirit's  nature 
which  is  of  itself  able  to  generate  noble  aspirations  in  the 
spirit  of  the  most  illiterate  and  debased.  There  is,  too,  an 
innate  desire  away  down  under  the  mass  of  error  and  ig- 
norance which  impels  the  crudest  mind  to  seek  for  that-it 
does  not  understand  or  comprehend.  But  when  to  that 
mind  is  opened  the  broad  avenues  of  truth  and  knowledge, 
it  does  not  owe  to  its  instructor  the  meed  of  praise  for  the 
principles  inculcated.  'No.  Its  gratitude,  its  veneration, 
its  affection  may  be  poured  out  in  gushing  streams  toward 
him  who  has  showed  the  way,  and  he  will  look  up  and  ad- 
mire, but  still  the  truth  which  has  opened  to  his  soul  is 
heaven-born,  and  comes  like  the  Holy  Spirit  we  read  of, 
direct  from  God.  Direct  from  God?  Yes,  in  the  compre- 
hension of  his  eternal  laws,^in  the  realization  of  what  is  his 
own  prerogative  and  what  is  his  destiny ! 

I  have  made  these  remarks  that  you  may  understand 
that  nothing  of  all  that  has  been  accomplished  by  the 
spirits,  or  what  will  be  achieved  by  you,  has  or  should  be 
attributed  to  any  thing  else  but  the  administration  of  the 
eternal  laws  of  God. 

Bright  as  may  be  the  prospect  before  you,  glorious  as 
may  be  the  idea  of  aiding  an  iminortal  soul  to  spring  from 
darkness  and  degradation  to  the  light  of  knowledge  and 
progress,  I  pray  you  all  to  reflect,  that  to  Him  who  has 
established  and  perfected  the  laws  by  which  this  change 
from  mortality  to  immortality  takes  place,  is  to  be  ascribed 
all  the  glory  and  honor  forever  and  ever.     Amen. 

I  dp  not  understand  that  in  any  thing  which  has  taken 
place  here  you  are  instructed  to  admit  to  your  circle  every 
spirit,  good  or  bad,  who  makes  application.     The  design  of 


220  SPIRITUALISM. 

many  bad  spirits  is  to  gain  admission  bj  any  contrivance 
possible,  and  to  thus  circumvent  your  plans  by  learning 
what  they  are  and  how  they  are  to  be  accomplished.  There 
is  a  deeply  concerted  scheme  here  to  destroy  all  the  good 
which  may  be  done  by  your  efforts,  by  instilling  in  your 
minds  doubts,  distrust  of  yourselves  and  others,  and  also 
by  inciting  certain  passions  and  feelings  to  lead  your  mind 
away  from  the  real  objects  before  you,  to  that  which  will 
perplex,  destroy,  and  break  up  the  whole  harmony  of  the 
plans  in  which  you  are  engaged.  Recollect  that  the  truly 
good  man  is  the  easiest  to  be  approached  by  the  artful  and 
wicked,  for  suspecting  no  evil  himself,  he  suspects  no  evil 
in  others,  and  thus  he  leaves  the  door  wide  open  for  all  to 
enter,  both  good  and  evil.  Tliat  there  were  some  spirits 
deeply  smitten  with  a  sense  of  sin,  and  earnestly  desirous 
to  throw  off  their  bundle  like  Christian  of  old,  I  have  no 
doubt.  But  that  there  were  and  are  spirits  even  here  to- 
night who  would  like  to  come  under  the  mask  of  repent- 
ance to  gain  a  foothold  in  your  platform  I  know.  I  need 
say  no  more,  for  you  all  will  understand  what  I  mean. 

I  remarked  that  I  had  been  originally  desirous  of  aiding  all  who 
came,  and  though  I  had  not  been  without  suspicion  as  to  the  sincerity 
of  some  of  them,  yet  I  did  not  like  to  repel  any,  lest  I  might  drive  away 
the  sincere  penitent.     But  from  what  he  had  said  on  Sunday.  I  had  been 


It  was  written : 

What  was  said  by  the  medium,  when  I  manifested  my- 
self through  her,  had  somewhat  the  color  of  her  own  mind 
in  it.  She  entertained  the  same  feeling  in  regard  to  the 
admission  of  spirits  as  she  then  expressed,  long  before  she 
came  to  your  city.  I  did  not  intend  so  to  be  understood. 
I  meant  this,  that  duty  should  be  performed  under  all  cir- 
cumstances. To  your  enlightened  minds  that  duty  was 
plain,  because  you  had  already  become  acquainted  with 
what  was  required  of  you,  and  that  you  were  to  judge  of, 
when  to  permit  a  spirit  to  approach,  when  every  circum- 


SPIRITUALISM.  221 

stance  in  connection  with  what  was  seen,  taught,  and  known 
of  him  satisfied  your  minds  that  he  was  impelled  to  come  by 
a  sense  of  his  own  degradation.  To  this,  in  the  admission  of 
every  spirit  who  claimed  entrance  by  the  strength  of  your 
promise,  Judge,  your  judgment  certainly  did  not  consent, 
for  it  was  shown  to  you  what  the  design  of  crowds  of  spirits 
was  when  they  should  have  gained  ad  mission  to  this  circle. 
Answer  me,  all — For  what  purpose  was  that  dark  vision  of 
the  evil  spirits  given  to  the  Judge  ?  Did  we  not  so  impress 
his  consciousness  of  the  dire  intent  for  which  they  were  here, 
that  his  soul  realized  their  very  plans,  though  in  embryo  ? 
Could  it  be  possible  that  he  should  weep  because  he  had 
seen  fifty  dark  spirits,  when  he  has  fought  and  triumphed 
over  his  thousands,  even  in  himself?  Is  it  necessary  for  me 
again  to  say  that  your  judgment  is  to  guide  you  in  all  that 
you  see  and  hear  ?  When  they  come,  consult  those  who  are 
always  with  you,  those  whom  you  trust,  and  they  will  tell 
you  what  to  do. 

We  were  then  told  to  ask  our  questions,  if  we  had  any. 
Mr.  Warren  asked,  Do  the  inhabitants  of  the  various  planets  in  the 
solar  system  at  death  go  to  the  same  spheres  with  the  people  of  earth  ? 

Yes. 

Are  the  spheres  where  you  reside  material  globes,  on  the  surface  of 
which  are  the  same  general  manifestations  of  vegetable  and  animal  life 
as  on  earth  ? 

Yes. 

Do  all  the  inhabitants  of  earth  go  to  the  same  globe  ? 

Ko. 

In  advancing, a  grade,  do  you  leave  one  globe  and  go  to  another? 

Yes. 

Do  those  spheres  and  globes  possess  gravitation,  and  do  they  revolve 
around  a  central  sun  ? 

Yes. 

What  distance  is  it  from  us  ?— how  situated  ?    Is  it  visibleto  us,  or  not  ? 


SPIKITITALISM. 

Calculate  the  distance  from  space  to  space  unknown,  and 
jou  have  it.  We  can't  tell,  at  least  I  can't,  never  having 
measured  it.  I  cian  only  say,  when  I  want  to  go  to  any 
place,  I  am  there. 

The  distance  is  only  to  be  calculated  when  gross  matter 
requires  absolute  and  positive  locomotion.  I  understand 
what  you  desire,  Mr.  "W".,  and  I  really  appreciate  your  in- 
tention. But  you  will  not  at  present  get  any  positive  or 
approximate  calculation  of  distance.  Add  the  distance  of 
the  fixed  stars  four  times  and  multiply  by  twice  fifty  thou- 
sand, and  then  you  are  as  near  it  as  before  you  commenced. 

In  answer  to  other  questions  it  was  said,  that  none  of  the  globes 
where  the  spirits  dwell  are  visible  to  us ;  that  the  spirits  from  other 
globes  go  to  the  same  places  with  the  inhabitants  of  earth ;  that  many 
of  them  are  not  in  advance  of  us;  and  that  advance  depends,  not  on  dis- 
tance or  locality,  but  on  purity. 

Mr.  Warren  asked  some  questions  about  the  sixth  and  seventh  spheres. 

And  it  was  written : 

That  is  an  arbitrary  division.  We  make  none  such  here. 
You  can  make  this  division  if  you  please,  but  I  can  only 
say  that  the  process  of  advance  includes  many,  many  gra- 
dations, and  you  will  find  there  is  not  so  much  difi:erence 
among  spirits,  between  this  and  your  world,  as  to  load  to  a 
separation  of  locality  alone.  Mind,  purpose,  and  action 
constitute  the  division. 

Mr.  Sweet  then  called  their  attention  to  and  asked  an  explanation  of 
that  part  of  the  teaching  about  the  creation  which  said  that  in  chaos 
there  was  no  motion.  He  had  thought  that  motion  was  coeval  with 
God,  and  that  if  any  part  of  creation  had  not  motion,  the  Spirit  of  God 
was  not  there,  and  consequently  he  was  not  infinite  ? 

It  was  written : 

I  will  just  call  Mr.  S.'s  attention  to  the  time  when  this 
earth  was  unfit  for  the  habitation  of  man,  and  ask  him  why 
it  ever  was  in  that  condition?  Why  should  it  not  have 
been  ready  fashioned?  Why  are  there  now  wandering  in 
space  the  nucleii  of  other  worlds  ?  AVhy  not  all  progress  at 
once  ?     If  the  Divine  Spirit  pervaded  every  thing,  of  course 


SPIKITUALISM.  22S 

there  mifst  have  been  the  same  degree  of  development  in 
every  part  of  creation.  Thus  animals  could  not  have  had 
any  starting-point,  but  because  the  Divine  Spirit  pervaded 
the  principle,  all  development  must  have  assumed  the  same 
ratio  or  state  of  progress  at  one  and  the  same  time.  Bat 
God's  laws  work  from  the  germ  to  the  full  and  perfect  de- 
velopment. Thus,  in  the  seed  when  planted,  there  is  a 
time  when  the  germinating  process  has  not  commenced. 
But  when  it  does  so,  it  goes  through  its  whole  progress  till 
the  perfect  grain  bursts  forth.  Do  you  suppose  in  all  space 
there  is  now  motion  ? 

Every  thing  has  a  starting-point,  and  though  God  is  in- 
finite, he  can  not  act  in  advance  of  the  laws  he  has  estab- 
lished, for,  if  he  could,  what  is  the  use  of  his  laws?  JJ^ow 
that  God  created  other  worlds  is  proved  by  astronomy,  for 
the  central  point  of  creation  is  detected  by  certain  phenom- 
ena known  to  the  scientific.  But  God  was  just  as  much 
acting  when  the  space  was  without  motion  as  he  is  now,  for 
the  very  constituents  out  of  which  this  world  was  formed 
were  then  at  Avork  to  develop  the  proper  state  from  which 
matter  could  be  evolved.  If  motion  were  coeval  with  God 
you  might  realize  him  as  motion  too.  Nothing  was  co- 
eval with  God  but  spirit,  and  it  was  this  infinite  spirit  that 
created  motion,  matter,  and  the  laws  which  control  them. 

Then,  after  a  brief  and  unimportant  communication  through  Mrs.  S., 
the  circle  left. 


224 


SPIEITUALISM. 


Bttiian  Cfetntg. 

Sunday,  Oct.  2,  1853 
The  circle  met  at  Dr.  Dexter's.     All  present. 
It  was  written : 

You  will  observe  the  influence  of  the  spirits  on  other 
members  of  the  circle  than  the  Doctor,  as  it  will  be  im- 
possible to  influence  him  much  to-night,  as  he  is  really 
sick.  But  what  I  have  to  say  through  him  will  be  said 
now,  for  I  find  it  very  difficult  to  write. 

Some  time  ago  you  were  reminded  that  a  careful  exam- 
ination of  your  hearts  was  one  of  the  real  tests  of  your 
progress  toward  purity  and  truth.  To-night  it  is  proper, 
after  all  that  some  of  the  circle  have  seen  and  witnessed, 
that  this  examination  should  be  made ;  and  of  others,  too, 
the  question  should  be  asked,  Have  all  the  intentions  of  life 
been  true  ?  Have  we  desired  to  conform  to  the  principles 
that  we  acknowledge  as  our  guides,  and  have  we  in  every 
thing  acted  knowingly,  as  we  ought  to  have  done  ?  Have 
we  entertained  toward  others  any  feelings  but  those  which 
are  consonant  with  love !  Do  we  regard  God  and  his 
laws  with  true  afl'ection  ?     Have  we  progressed  ? 

Friends,  'tis  not  alone  that  we  believe,  but  do  we  act  ? 
Are  there  no  secret  purposes  which  may  retard  our  prog- 
ress toward  immortal  perfection?  The  spirits  surrounding 
you,  and  who  are  with  you  daily,  are  the  witnesses  of  many 
noble,  virtuous,  and  glorious  aspirations  for  what  is  indeed 
the  real  purpose  of  life;  and  when  we  propose  these  ques- 
tions, we  do  so  because  ye  are  indeed  the  chosen  vessels  in 
which  the  truth,  as  it  is  of  God  is  to  be  distributed  through- 
out the  world.     Be  ye  perfect,  even  as  God  is  perfect. 

Bacon. 


SPIEITIJALI8M.  225 

Mrs.  Sweet  then  asked  the  spirits  if  they  would  take  care,  while  com- 
municating through  her,  that  she  did  not  commit  any  error,  or  allow  her 
own  mind  to  mingle  with  their  teachings. 

It  was  answered : 

My  dear  Mrs.  Sweet :  You,  as  all  the  rest  of  the  world, 
are  not  yet  perfect.  That  the  spirits  influencing  you  are 
aware  of  the  peculiar  feelings  of  your  heart  relative  to  the 
manifestations  through  you,  is  known  to  you,  for  you  have 
been  told  so  before  now.  Tlierefore,  depend  upon,  it,  and 
let  it  satisfy  you  to-night,  forever  and  aye,  that  if  you  do 
not  say  what  you  are  impressed  to  say,  you  shall  be  imme- 
diately stopped  short,  and  shall  not  go  on  until  you  are 
brought  under  the  full  influence.  This  is  enough  for  all 
you  wish  to  know. 

One  word  more  :  After  Mrs.  S.  has  spoken,  then  the 
Judge  will  be  influenced,  and  then  the  circle  had  better 
separate,  as  the  Doctor  needs  rest. 

I  wrote  what  I  did  in  the  commencement,  for  these  are 
thoughts  that  make  their  impress  on  the  spheres.  •  Oh  ! 
that  our  whole  thought  and  acts  were  indeed  measured  by 
the  standard  of  the  vision  on  the  cross — that  it  is  not  in- 
deed in  dying  that  Christ  redeemed  the  world,  but  in  liv- 
ing and  exemplifying  the  glorious  principles  of  God's  truth 
in  every  act  of  his  life. 

The  spirits  then  caused  me  to  feel  their  influence,  and  after  sitting  in 
silence  for  some  time,  during  which  I  saw  much  of  what  is  hereafter  re- 
corded, I  exclaimed. 

Oh  !  what  a  fearful  ordeal  !     What  a  day  of  judgment ! 

I  had  again  ascended  that  path  leading  to  the  fountain, 
and  there  again  approached  that  bright  spirit  who  presided 
over  that  community,  and  by  whose  side  I  had  on  former 
occasions  stood  erect  in  the  pride  of  my  anticipation,  that  I 
could  be  like  him.  But  now  with  what  different  feelings 
did  I  approach  him ! 

Since  I  last  met  him  I  had  seen  what  sin  was — how  fear- 
fully dark  and  corrupt  is  the  heart  into  which  it  has  been 
permitted  entrance  !  how  loathsome  in  its  daily  life  !  how 

15 


226  SPIRITUALISM. 

terrible  in  its  consequences,  amid  the  despair  that  seemed 
to  have  no  end.  I  had  seen  the  dark  spirits  in  whose 
breasts  have  raged,  with  undisputed  sway,  all  the  passions 
of  our  material  existence.  I  had  seen  how  lasting  on  the 
soul  were  its  unhappy  effects ;  and  how  impossible  it  is,  • 
when  the  soul  is  free  from  the  material  garment  and  its 
aids  to  forge tfulness,  to  banish  or  suppress  the  memory  of 
aught  of  the  past.  And  now,  as  I  approached  that  bright 
spirit,  this  lesson  was  uppermost  in  my  mind,  and  it  was  in 
deep  humility,  growing  out  of  a  burning  recollection  of  my 
evil  past,  that  I  approached  one  so  pure  and  bright.  How 
unlike  the  proud  aspect  that  once  marked  my  approach  to 
him,  was  the  deep  humility  which  now  bowed  me  almost 
to  his  feet!  He  stood  near  me  alone;  the  other  spirits 
who  had  accompanied  him  when  I  first  approached,  had 
seemed  to  be  conscious  of  what  was  before  me,  and,  un- 
willing to  mortify  me  by  their  presence,  had,  with  sorrow- 
ing and  sympathizing  countenances,  retired.  The  expres- 
sion of  his  countenance  was  different  from  what  I  had  ever 
seen  it  before.  Its  benevolent  tone  had  now  a  sad  and 
mournful  hue,  and  he  seemed  to  feel  as  if  he  fully  realized 
the  depth  of  my  despondency,  though  he  had  never  him- 
self had  so  much  cause  to  regret. 

He  kindly  took  me  by  the  hand  and  led  me  toward  the 
house  where  my  wife  resided.  As  I  approached  it,  I  saw 
her  standing  by  its  entrance  with  the  same  mournful,  sym- 
pathetic expression  of  countenance,  yet  beaming  with  hope 
and  encouragement.  As  I  passed  her  she  seized  my  hand, 
and,  by  gently  pressing  it,  assured  me  of  her  sympathy  and 
affection,  at  the  same  time  that  she  thus  awoke  within  me, 
with  terrible  vividness,  the  recollection  of  all  my  wrongs 
to  her.  My  conductor  led  me  to  an  inner  apartment  in 
that  house,  and  left  me  there,  with  the  remark  that  it  was 
my  residence ;  and  though  by  the  preponderance  of  good 
over  evil  in  my  life  I  had  been  able  to  ascend  to  that  level, 
and  in  some  respects  live  with  my  wife  and  children,  yet  I 
was  not  pure  enough  to  associate  fully  with  them,  and,  for 


SPIRITUALISM.  227 

the  present — at  least, ,  whenever  I  retired  from  the  busy 
scene  around  me — that  was  my  closet,  and  was  to  be  occu- 
pied by  me  alone.     Thus  speaking,  he  retired,  and  I  was , 
left  alone  with  the  memory  of  the  past. 

The  room  was  long  and  spacious,  and  had  but  few  arti- 
cles of  furniture  in  it.  A  bed  in  one  corner,  a  few  chairs, 
and  an  altar  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  were  the 
the  chief.  But  I  did  not  notice  that  much,  for  my  atten- 
tion was  at  once  drawri  to  letters  printed  on  the  walls  of 
the  room,  in  colors  of  black,  of  red,  of  silver  and  of  gold, 
and  which  covered  all  the  walls  all  around  the  room. 
With  those  letters  were  thus  recorded  all  the  events  of  my 
life — the  good,  and  the  evil,  and  the  mixed.  Thus  they 
stood  out  before  me,  and  turn  my  eyes  where  I  would,  that 
record  was  present.  I  did  not  much  observe  the  lighter 
letters,  the  darker  ones  seemed  so  much  to  preponderate — 
at  least,  at  the  earlier  periods  of  life.  I  observed  that 
some  of  the  events  had  been  obliterated  by  heavy,  black 
4ines  drawn  through  them  ;  but  then  and  thus  were 
brought  up  before  me  many  events  of  early  life,  which 
I  had  forgotten  amid  the  bustle  and  stir  of  subsequent 
events. 

It  was  a  terrible  ordeal,  a  fearful  waiting  for  of  judg- 
ment. I  buried  my  face  in  my  hands  to  hide,  if  possible, 
the  sight  from  my  view.  But  in  vain  ;  for  memory,  pain- 
fully awakened  by  the  record  around  me,  was  busy  in  its 
duty  of  retribution,  and  I  prostrated  myself  before  that 
altar,  in  deep  humiliation  at  the  sense  of  what  I  had  been, 
and,  with  a  torn  and  contrite  heart,  fervently  prayed  to 
God  that  that  terrible  memory  might  pass  from  me.  While 
thus  prostrate,  my  wife  entered  the  room,  and  gently  led 
me  from  it.  Ko  word  was  exchanged  between  us.  My 
heart  was  too  full  to  speak,  and  in  silence  I  retired  from  a 
scene  which  had  shaken  my  soul — of  whose  strength  I  had 
proudly  boasted  to  myself— until  its  weakness  had  seemed 
that  of 'infancy,  and  its  dependence  on  something  more 
than  its  own  power  was  but  too  manifest. 


228  SPIRITUALISM. 

As  i  came  out  of  the  building,  I  found  the  presiding 
spirit  awaiting  me. 

He  called  my  attention  to  a  volcano  in  the  distance  that 
was  throwing  its  fires  high  up  into  the  heavens,  and  emit- 
ting from  the  summit  of  its  flame  a  dense,  black  smoke.  I 
observed  that  the  top  of  the  mountain,  which  had  once 
towered  high  into  the  air,  was  now  partly  burned  off.  Its 
lava  had,  in  times  long  past,  run  down  its  sides,  and  con- 
tributed to  fill  up  and  elevate  the"  valleys,  and  now  it 
was  pouring  forth  ashes,  which,  falling  in  thick  showers 
on  the  surrounding  country,  was  creating  and  enriching 
the  soil.  I  perceived  also  that  its  sides,  or  crusts,  were 
burned  very  thin,  and  must  soon,  by  the  operation  of  those 
fires,  be  consumed  and  fall  within  the  crater,  and  the  rough 
places  of  earth  be  made  smooth,  and  its  barrenness  be  con- 
verted into  land  fit  for  human  habitation  and  human  wants. 
As  I  was  regarding  this,  the  spirit  said  to  me,  Thus  in  all 
nature,  in  man  as  well  as  matter,  the  same  law  obtains. 
As  in  this  mount  its  center  must  be  burned  out  by  those 
raging  flames  before  it  can  be  made  to  beautify  nature 
around,  so  must  the  human  heart  be  purified  by  its  inter- 
nal fires — first  throwing  out  its  lava  to  fill  up  the  deep 
hollows  of  its  existence — casting  off  from  its  bosom  its 
foul,  black  smoke,  and  fertilizing  all  around  it  by  the  con- 
sumption of ^  its  own  impurities  and  the  production  of  a 
material  that  is  capable  of  enriching,  beautifying,  and  lev- 
eling what  remains. 

As  the  rugged  parts  of  material  existence  are  softened 
and  beautified  by  the  never-ending  operations  of  God's 
laws,  so  it  is  in  man  ;  and  in  proportion  to  the  density  and 
quantity  of  the  contents  of  these  material  prominences,  so 
must  the  fire  that  burns  them  out  be  more  intense  and  more 
enduring. 

Such,  he  said,  is  the  law  now  operating  in  man.  If  the 
human  soul  had  preserved  its  level,  there  would  have  been 
no  lofty  mount  to  consume  ;  but  if  there  be  elevations, 
they  must  be  destroyed.     He  bade  me  remember  the  les- 


SPIRITUALISM.  229 

son,  for  it  was  true,  not  alone  in  that  instance,  but  every- 
where and  in  every  thing.  The  law  of  progression  was  the 
same  everywhere,  operating  in  the  same  general  manner 
always  alike,  and  always  in  man  or  matter  producing  the 
same  results. 

And  now,  he  added,  take  care  that  while  the  dark  spirits 
may  hail  you — as  some  of  them  have  done — as  "  Man  of 
God,"  the  brighter  spirits  may  not  have  occasion  to  say  to 
you,  "  Man  of  Sin  ;"  for  think  how  far  you,  who  can  be  ap- 
proached by  those  dark  spirits,  must  be  from  those  near 
whom  they  can  not  come.  And  beware,  lest  in  reproach- 
ing the  overweening  self-conceit  of  others,  you  be  not 
prompted  by  the  influence  of  your  own. 

And  now  farewell,  and  forget  not  that  the  fire  which 
burns,  also  enlightens. 


'V      OP  THE^. 


tttmx  ®fotntg-0n^ 


Thursday,  Oct.  6,  1853. 
This  erening  the  circle  met  at  my  library.     It  was  written : 

There  are  some  parts  of  the  Bible  which  evidence  the 
profound  knowledge  which  the  spirits  who  dictated  it  had 
of  human  nature.  One  passage  in  particular  is  not  only 
expressive,  but  it  comes  to  the  very  doors  of  our  hearts,  and 
knocks  for  entrance.  I  refer  to  the  passage  where  it  is 
said,  "  Come  now,  and  let  us  reason  together."  This  is 
indeed  an  appeal  to  the  higher  attributes  of  mind.  It  sug- 
gests at  once  the  ability  to  comprehend  all  that  was 
designed  we  should  know,  and  it  also  suggests  the  neces- 
sity that  the  ability  to  reason  should  also  extend  to  ex- 
amination. 


230  SPIRITUALISM. 

In  referring  back  to  all  that  has  been  revealed  to  you  m 
spirit-intercourse,  much,  you  will  observe,  has  been  said 
on  the  subject  of  spirit-examination ;  and  it  has  been 
required  of  you,  that  you  should  not  only  ponder  upon  the 
truths  which  have  been  taught  you,  but  that  the  very  prin- 
ciples laid  down  as  the  guides  of  opinion  should  also  be 
recognized  as  the  rules  of  action.  It  was  not  the  whole 
design  of  either  God,  in  the  action  under  his  laws,  or  of  the 
spirits  as  the  instruments  of  their  execution,  that  spirit- 
intercourse  should  benefit  man  by  what  was  revealed  of 
the  condition  of  spirits  after  the  death  of  the  body,  or  that 
man  should  derive  happiness  from  the  knowledge  that  he 
would  positively  meet  with  the  loved  ones  who  had 
journeyed  on  a  little  while  before.  But  it  was  the  inten- 
tion to  communicate  to  the  world  by  this  means  the  neces- 
sity that  the  spirit  in  the  body  should  be  under  the  same 
laws  as  the  spirit  out  of  the  body.  It  is  certainly  true  that 
to  most  of  our  race  the  absolute  knowledge  of  the  demands 
of  their  spirit-nature  is  as  unknown  to  themselves  as  if 
tHey  existed  in  the  bodies  of  the  brute  creation  around 
them.  They  are  imacquainted  with  either  the  form  or  the 
complexion  of  that  eternal  principle  which  animates  their 
organization.  They  do  not  know  whether  it  be  black  or 
white,  and  yet  they  would  fain  believe  that  it  is  indeed 
fair  and  beautiful. 

Strange  though  it  is,  what  to  their  consciousness  should 
be  distinctly  understood,  is  a  sort  of  dim  reality.  They 
feel  an  impulse,  but  they  know  not  the  source  from  which 
it  emanates. 

To  the  spirits  in  the  spheres  the  reflex  of  thought  is  met 
at  once.  The  thought  stands  distinct  on  the  very  counte- 
nance. The  soul  feels  its  own  attributes,  it  receives  its  own 
prerogatives,  and  it  manifests  its  rights  by  an  independent 
manifestation  of  its  powers  to  feel  and  act.  What  should 
prevent  man  in  the  form  from  aiming  at  the  same  ability 
to  manifest  the  pure  indications  of  his  thoughts,  desires, 
aspirations,  hopes,  joys,  sorrows,  and  all  the  phenomena 


SPIEITTTALISM.  231 

of  spirit-action  on  its  own  matter?  Why  should  it  be 
the  strongest  effort  of  men  to  conceal  their  emotions,  and 
thus  to  deceive  others  as  to  the  true  purpose  ?  Let  us 
reason. 

To  the  merest  child  the  thought  is  often  suggested,  What 
am  I  made  for  ?  What  is  the  purpose  of  my  creation  ?  If 
this  is  a  child's  thought,  it  is  one  worth  the  careful  con- 
sideration of  developed  man,  what  indeed  is  the  design  of 
our  existence  ?  Were  our  existence  to  terminate  on  earth, 
and  the  body,  when  it  is  given  to  the  dust,  was  there  to  lie, 
and  no  principle  to  spring  from  it  to  live  forever,  it  would 
seem  to  be  the  purpose  of  its  creation  that  it  was  to  live 
and  enjoy  all  that  this  earth  affords  for  pleasure  or  happi- 
ness ;  that  its  enjoyments  should  be  entirely  confined  to 
earth,  and  that  its  thoughts  should  be  limited  by  the 
surface  and  extent  of  that  globe  on  which  it  lived.  True 
it  is,  that  if  the  body  were  created  alone  to  live  and  die, 
that  the  life  on  earth  should  conform  to  the  law  of  its 
existence,  that  its  aspirations  should  be  limited  to  the 
objects  which  impressed  its  senses,  and  that  there  should 
not  be  one  manifestation  beyond  the  material  condition  in 
which  it  is  placed. 

On  the  contrary,  the  spirit  which  exists  in  the  body  is 
not  satisfied  with  its  material  connections.  It  sighs  for  a 
more  extended  communication ;  and  the  rudest  savage, 
when  he  views  the  glorious  orbs  rolling  in  the  space  above, 
feels  the  longing  of  his  soul  to  know  something  that  shall 
give  him  proof  of  what  they  are.  To  him,  the  wind,  as  it 
passes,  whispers  thoughts  of  the  world  bej^ond,  dark  and 
shadowy  though  it  be.  The  glorious  sun  dazzles  his  sight 
and  reveals  to  his  spirit  the  awful  grandeur  of  the  power 
which  created  it.  The  murmuring  brook,  as  it  gambols 
o'er  its  rocky  bed,  utters  thoughts  to  his  darkened  mind 
which  struggle  to  be  comprehended.  Ay  !  in  the  savage, 
wild  as  the  very  beast  which  he  pursues  for  his  sustenance, 
is  a  living  evidence  of  the  demands  of  spirit  to  make  itself 
recognized.     But  to  civilized  man  the  question  is  already 


SPIRITUALISM. 

answered.  He  questions  not  the  soul's  existence,  he 
denies  not  that  that  soul  is  to  live  forever.  'No.  The 
savage  struggling  in  the  darkness  of  ignorance  strives  to 
reconcile  the  demands  of  spirit  to  the  evidences  of  his 
existence.  But  civilized  man,  recognizing  what  these 
demands  are,  is  striving  to  conceal  the  true  properties  of 
that  soul  by  a  demonstration  of  every  thing  else  but  its 
true  attributes. 

What,  then,  is  the  object  of  this  teaching? 

That  man  should  not  only  "  reason  together,"  but  reason 
with  himself,  and  demonstrate  to  himself  the  claims  which 
his  spirit  has,  not  only  to  the  thiiigs  of  this  world,  but  to 
the  things  which  are  unseen,  but  recognized  as  true. 

I  have  felt  it  my  duty  to  say  thus  much  to-night,  for  I 
wish  you  to  all  understand  than  no  man  here  can  progress 
either  in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow- man  without  he  im- 
presses the  world  with  the  sincerity  and  truth  of  his  inten- 
tions, nor  can  progress  hereafter  without  he  carries  his 
soul  in  his  hand,  open  to  the  inspection  of  all,  spotless, 
pure,  and  without  blemish.  Ko  man  can  see  the  awful 
glories  of  the  spheres,  if  he  is  not  indeed  without  guile. 

This  lesson  refers  to  your  life  as  well  as  ours. 

Bacon. 


SPIRITUALISM.  233 


^wtion  Cfotntg-tfo0 


Friday,  Oct.  7,  1853. 

Early  this  evening  in  my  library,  while  the  Doctor  and  I  were  talking, 
he  was  strongly  influenced  to  write,  and  I  judged  from  the  vehemence  of 
the  manifestations  that  it  was  an  unprogressed  spirrt;  and  I  advised 
him  to  resist  the  influence,  which  he  did  successfully.  I  now  inquired 
if  there  was  any  one,  now  present,  who  had  been  there  ?  It  was  an- 
swered : 

~Eo  ;  not  one  spirit. 

I  said,  That  was  queer.     It  was  written  : 

N^o ;  not  queer,  for  we  were  all  absent. 

I  remarked,  that  I  surely  could  not  have  been  left  alone  ? 

Then  it  was  written : 

Yes.  One  spirit  just  now  says  he  was  here,  and  that 
you  were  and  are  surrounded  by  a  host  of  dark  spirits  con- 
triving their  nefarious  designs  to  manifest  themselves.  That 
spirit  was  Yoltaire  ;  he  says  that  in  a  few  days  he  will  con- 
fer with  you  through  Mrs.  S. 

I  inquired.  Is  there  no  way  for  me  to  get  rid  of  this  annoying  influ- 
ence? 

It  was  answered : 

You  do  not  want  to,  for  there  is  a  design  for  good  in 
all  this. 

I  said.  Then  I  am  indeed  becoming  crucified. 

It  was  written : 

Yes,  and  fortified,  too.  Judge. 

I  remarked,  that  it  made  me  suspicious,  and  took  away  from  me  my 
freedom  and  ease  of  action  in  regard  to  communing. 

[Thus  far  the  handwriting  was  that  of  Sweedenborg.  Now,  in  Ba- 
con's, it  was  written,] 


234:  SPIRITUALISM. 

Move  just  as  before,  my  friend,  for  are  we  not  all  with 
you?  Your  own  judgment  is  and  must  be  the  guide  ;  for 
we  design  that  out  of  this  darkness  you  shall  bving  forth  a 
marvelous  light. 

I  said  something  about  the  wisdom  with  which  the  matter  had  been 
guided,  for  this  manifestation  of  dark  spirits  was  necessary  to  enable 
me  to  teach  both  sides  of  the  question,  and  they  had  been  withheld  un- 
til I  had  been  prepared  and  fitted  to  receive  them. 

It  was  written : 

That  is  it  exactly.  Had  it  come  before  your  internal 
was  developed,  you  would  have  confounded  the  two  kinds 
of  manifestations. 


ttimx  Cfoentg-tljree. 


Saturday,  Oct.  8,  1853. 

This  evening,  through  Dr.  Dexter,  in  my  library,  it  was  written : 

There  is  something  of  higher  interest  connected  with 
spirit-manifestation  than  the  mere  appearance  of  spirits, 
either  through  the  raps  or  visions,  or  other  methods  of 
communication.  To  every  living  being  there  is  innately  a 
desire  to  be  satisfied  of  the  truth  of  the  immortality  of  the 
soul.  But  this  fact,  once  demonstrated  to  the  mind,  will 
not  satisfy  the  desire  still  existent,  or  avail  him,  when  he 
shall  have  entered  the  spheres,  if  with  the  knowledge  that 
the  soul  shall  live  forever  it  is  not  prepared  to  live  in  purity 
and  in  the  glorious  garb  of  progressive  truth.  In  this  view, 
therefore,  there  is  something  more  necessary  for  man  than 
a  mere  belief  in  the  validity  of  all  he  sees  and  hears  from 
spirits. 


SPIEITUALISM.  235 

There  is  somethiog  of  far  more  importance  than  that  he 
can  relate  to  others,  the  very  wonderful  things  he  has  wit- 
nessed— that  the  spirits  have  accomplished  for  his  sake. 
This  something  is  the  positive  realization  of  the  truth  of 
what  spirits  teach,  and  the  positive  belief  that  in  his  action 
under  these  teachings  his  welfare  here,  and  his  happiness 
hereafter,  are  to  be  enhanced. 

A  mere  belief  in  any  subject  is  of  no  consequence  if  it 
does  not  work  out  within  ourselves  a  radical  change  in  all 
the  acts  of  our  lives.  Thus  a  man  may  believe  that  a  part 
of  his  fellow- creatures  are  suffering  from  famine,  but  of 
what  avail,  if  this  belief  does  not  prompt  him  to  assist 
them  by  every  means  in  his  power?  There  is  nothing 
strange  in  the  communication  of  spirits  with  the  world. 
You  appreciate  the  manifestations  of  mind  in  an  individual 
living  in  Europe,  and  you  feel  the  truth  of  principles  ema- 
nating from  persons  of  whom  you  have  had  no  previous 
knowledge  ;  and  you  admit  that  a  grain  of  wheat  can  and 
will  grow  when  placed  in  the  ground,  but  why  it  does  so 
you  can  not  tell.  Thus  are  you  conscious  that  your  spirit 
is  impressed  from  other  causes  than  those  with  which  you 
come  materially  in  contact.'? 

How  often  have  either  of  you  realized  thoughts  when 
you  could  not  trace  the  source  from  whence  they  emanated  ? 
Thus  are  you  surrounded  with  many  evidences  of  mystery 
in  daily  life  for  which  you  find  it  impossible  to  account. 
It  is  of  no  consequence  how  you  explain  the  mind's  action. 
You  are  not  alone  to  judge  of  its  action  in  that  which  is' 
educated,  but  you  are  to  take  the  innate  promptings  and 
yearnings  of  the  spirit  and  the  phenomena  that  come,  as  it 
were,  without  cause ;  for  who  has  not,  when  sitting  alone, 
felt  positively  that  some  one  was  present  with  him  ;  and 
who  has  not  experienced,  when  impressed  with  a  sense  ^f 
some  evil  foreboding,  that  the  evil  has  fallen  on  him  in 
some  form  or  shape,  and  that  his  spirit  recognized  the 
warning  as  coming  from  the  other  world  ?  These  are  trite 
and  simple  illustrations,  but  they  are  nevertheless  perti- 


2J3^  SPIRITUALISM. 

nent  evidences  that  the  soul  holds  intercourse  with  the 
spirit-world  without  the  cognizance  of  the  senses.  Then 
why — if  this  should  be  so — should  it  appear  so  strange  that 
matter  can  mingle  with  matter,  and  the  senses  recognize 
that  spirits  can  communicate  ? 

But,  after  all,  what  is  the  whole  of  this  revelation  ?  It  is 
this :  that  there  is  a  necessity  that  the  heart  and  the  de- 
sires, the  thought  and  the  act,  should  be  purified  by  what 
is  taught  you. 

Oh !  my  friends,  could  you  but  know  all  that  is  before 
you ;  could  you  see  the  effect  of  a  life  of  sin  in  the  flesh, 
when  the  spirit  leaves  the  form,  and  takes  up  its  abode 
here,  then  would  you  see  that  sin  or  evil  enters,  as  it  were, 
into  the  very  constituents  of  the  soul  here ;  that  it  dims 
the  luster  of  its  original  brightness,  and  that  it  prevents  its 
onward  aspirations.  Are  you  to  rest  satisfied  with  be- 
lieving that  what  is  seen  or  heard  is  true  ?  Are  you  Spirit- 
ualists? Spiritualists?  Yes,  indeed,  your  spirit  is  dis- 
satisfied with  a  life  of  matter  bound  to  earth  by  ties  that 
change  its  heavenly  nature,  and  mark  it  as  unfit  for  the 
company  of  those  who  are  bright,  pure,  and  happy. 

What  are  your  thoughts  ?  Do  you  love  ?  Yes.  Do 
you  love  not  only  on  this  earth,  but  do  you  send  the  affec- 
tions in  advance  onward  through  the  spheres  and  love  what 
there  is  and  will  be?  Are  you  cautious  in  injuring  the 
feelings  of  others  ?  Are  you  strong  in  adhering  to  your 
own  opinions  1  For  truth's  sake,  are  you  ready  to  crucify 
all  that  is  unholy  in  your  natures,  and  trust  for  a  recom- 
pense in  life  and  death  ? 

Oh !  I  charge  you,  foster  the  affections,  but  be  mindful 
that  you  are  at  all  times  liable  to  receive  a  wrong  direction 
to  those  feelings — the  noblest  of  your  nature — by  those 
wbo  are  constantly  on  the  alert  to  deceive  you. 

If  you  are  believers  in  spirits,  believe  that  what  they 
teach  of  truth  and  righteousness,  a  judgment  to  come,  is  as 
true  as  the  very  God  who  created  you,  and  that  the  whole 
object  of  all  that  is  given  you  is  to  elevate  your  natures, 


SPIRITUALISM.  23Y 

purify  your  hearts,  and  fit  you  for  an  inheritance  where 
moth  nor  rust  shall  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  can  not 
break  through  and  steal. 

Much  has  been  said  lately  about  self-examination,  and 
the  spirits  feel  that  they  could  not  do  their  duty  without 
again  asking  you,  What  of  your  hearts?  is  it  well  with 
them  ?     Is  there  no  evil  thought  or  purpose  ?     God  bless 

you  all.  SWEEDENBOKG 


Btttion  ffeentg-four. 

/  Sunday,  Oct.  9,  1853. 

The  circle  met  at  Dr.  Dexter' s.     It  was  written : 

I  have  mentioned  several  times  lately  that  if  any  person 
present  has  questions  to  propose,  to  do  so,  and  it  seems 
that  the  object  I  had  in  making  this  suggestion  is  not 
understood.  I  say  again  to-night,  if  any  one  has  any 
question  to  ask  let  him  ask  it  now.  Bacon. 

Mr.  Sweet   asked  a  question   about  the   existence   of  matter,   and 
whether  it  was  not  coeval  with  God  ? 
It  was  answered : 

Matter  being  eternal  does  not  prove  that  it  was  from  the 
beginning  with  God.     It  exists  eternally. 

What  idea  have  you  of  God  ?     Is  he  a  personage  or  a  principle  V 
It  was  answered : 

God  is  a  principle,  and  also  an  identity.  If  God  was 
from  the  beginning,  andvin  him  was  all  knowledge,  power, 
and  wisdom,  it  must  have  been  through  these  attributes 
that  every  thing  was  created.  To  suppose  that  matter 
existed  ah  initio,  would  confer  on  an  unconscious  substance 


238  SPIRITUALISM. 

\ 

the  same  properties  that  belong  to  God,  especially  if  he 
did  not  create  it,  or  at  least,  existing  at  the  same  time 
with  him,  it  would  have  had  a  creator  antecedent  to  God 
who  possessed  more  power  than  he  did  or  di^es. 

One  remark  is  true,  that  God  pervades  every  thing. 
But  listen.  Let  the  mind  go  back  to  that  period  when  the 
Spirit  of  the  First  Cause  sprang  forth,  self-created,  and  in 
all  the  glory  of  his  might  and  majesty.  Imagine,  that 
standing  alone  amid  the  everlasting  space,  he  looks 
around  and  sees  nothing  existent  but  an  infinite  nothing, 
and  then  suppose  him  creating  from  his  own  body  the 
several  properties  which  constitute  matter,  and  from  an- 
other principle  developing  spirit. 

If  the  mind  can  grasp  this  idea,  how  much  opposed  to  all 
the  fundamental  principles  we  have  taught  would  it  be ! 
But  when  you  realize  the  existence  of  a  cause  to  which  is 
known  to  belong  all  the  requirements  of  matter,  and  all  the 
laws  which  would  develop  it,  you  feel  satisfied  that  in  this 
principle  of  development  you  have  a  starting-ground  or 
basis  on  which  to  predicate  opinion. 

There  is  no  more  difficulty  to  an  enlightened  mind  in 
supposing  God  just  as  capable  of  developing  the  constitu- 
ents of  matter  as  he  is  of  creating  any  new  form  out  of  the 
matter  now  existing.  It  is  the  self-same  principle  of  pro- 
gress ;  and  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  inform  you  at  this  time, 
that  among  many  spirits  of  high  estate  there  are  many 
who  believe  God  himself  the  product  of  developed  intelli- 
gence. How  this  may  be  /  can  not  say,  but  this  is  the 
opinion  of  many  here. 

When  I  say  that  in  the  whole  of  my  life,  of  near  three 
hundred  years  in  the  spheres,  I  have  never  found  one  spirit 
who  can  explain  what  the  principle  God  is,  and  how 
created  and  existing,  or  how  he  created  matter,  you  will 
see  at  once  how  little  is  known  on  the  subject  here. 

Then  it  was  written  to  me  : 

If  you  have  the  courage  we  will   show  you  the  whole 


SPIRITUALISM.  239 

object  of  the  presence  of  the  dark  spirits.  But  you  must 
be  firm  and  strong  and  battle  vigorously,  for  the  sight  will 
make  you  tremble  when  the  host  shall  pass  before  you. 
Are  you  ready  ? 

I  answered  that  after  what  I  had  seen  lately.  I  confess  I  was  afraid. 
It  was  WTitten : 

Then  I  will  give  you  strength  and  courage,  and  your 
wife  will  give  you  purity. 

I  said,  "  Then,  very  well,  I  am  ready,"  and  this  is  what  I  saw  : 

The  bright  spirits  had  left  us,  and  the  dark  ones  having 
discovered  that,  came  in  great  numbers.  Their  leader 
stopped  them,  he  feared  that  something  concealed  was 
intended.  But  he  was  reencouraged  by  my  mood  of  mind 
all  day,  which  he  had  been  conscious  of,  and  neither  he 
nor  any  of  his  companions  seemed  to  be  av^are  that  I  could 
see  them.  He  issued  his  directions  to  them  how  to  operate 
with  different  members  of  the  circle.  One  of  them  came 
behind  me  and  rapped  on  my  shoulder,  thinking  that  I 
was  deceived  as  to  who  it  was. 

They  were  very  cautious  and  stealthy  in  their  approach, 
as  if  fearing  to  wake  us  from  slumber. 

They  presented  to  my  view  first  a  female  in  the  form 
of  one  whom  I  knew  right  well.  She  was  bland,  soft, 
pleasant  in  her  manner.  But  I  saw  into  her  eyes,  deep 
down  into  her  head,  and  they  seemed,  like  burning  coals 
ctf  fire,  in  the  black  mass  of  the  brain.  The  sight  of  those 
eyes  was  most  revolting.  She  little  thought  I  saw  beneath 
the  exterior,  but  I  did,  for  I  saw  both  her  heart  and  brain. 
The  former  was  like  a  boiling  caldron  of  black  poison, 
bubbling  up  from  the  fierce  fires  that  were  burning  be- 
neath it. 

It  was  really  a  female,  and  a  ruling  spirit  among  them, 
and  if  ever  there  was  a  devil,  surely  she  was  one. 

Finding  that  in  this  form  she  affected  me  not,  she 
assumed  that  of  a  little  child  of  two  years  old,  with  golden 
locks  and  of  fair  complexion.     But  amid  it  all  were  those 


240 


SPIRITUALISM 


eyes  of  fire,  which,  it  seemed,  could  not  be  hidden  from 
me.  Imagine  that  lovely  child,  with  its  look  of  innocence, 
its  soft  and  clear  complexion,  "like  a  rose  leaf  crushed  on 
ivory,"  and  those  eyes  of  fire  shining  through  it  all ! 

She  had  studied  my  character  well  I  saw,  and  had  ap- 
proached'me  in  two  of  my  weak  spots  already.  I  wondered 
where  next  her  assault  would  be  directed.  It  was  to  my 
love  of  splendor.  Foi^  next  she  came  in  the  form  of  a 
queen  of  stately  mien,  with  her  crown  on  her  head,  and 
dazzling  in  jewelry.  She  came  in  her  chariot,  drawn  by 
four  stately  horses,  and  surrounded  by  her  guards  in  glow- 
ing uniforms.  She  invited  me  to  a  seat  by  her  side,  to 
enjoy  with  her  the  splendor  of  the  world  which  was  all 
before  me.  But  she  was  unaware  that  those  infernal  eyes 
shone  out  amid  it  all  and  warned  me  to  beware.  I  could 
see  in  her  a  cool,  concentrated  hatred  of  me,  but  kept 
under  her  control,  and  as  she  thought,  concealed  from  me. 

She  wondered  I  was  so  callous,  so  impervious  to  her 
assaults,  as  I  had  before  yielded  to  them,  and  she  became 
very  much  enraged  at  her  failure. 

When  they  first  came  near,  they  stationed  some  of  their 
companions  around  off  in  the  distance,  to  watch  and  give 
them  warning  of  the  first  approach  of  the  brighter  spirits. 
And  now  this  female,  surprised  at  her  defeat,  and  suspect- 
ing that  some  of  the  brighter  spirits  might  be  near  influenc- 
ing me,  inquired  of  the  sentries  if  they  discovered  any? 
and  one  after  another  they  answered,  No. 

My  attention  was  thus  called  to  the  outskirts,  if  I  may  so 
call  it,  of  this  circle  of  dark  spirits,  and  I  saw  that  there 
was  hanging  over  them  a  dark  cloud,  like  a  heavy  thunder- 
cloud in  our  atmosphere,  with  loose,  jagged  fragments 
hanging  down,  and  a  dark,  lurid  light  thrown  upon  it  of  a 
dull,  burning  red— a  horrible  light,  and  very  uncomfort- 
able. I  suppose  they  must  feel  as  we  do  at  times  when  a 
thunder  shower  is  approaching,  only  ten  times  as  intense, 
for  there  is  no  bursting  of  the  cloud  and  clearing  the  air 
for  them.     How  close  and  oppressive  that  air  must  be  ! 


SPIRITTJALISM.  241 

As  I  turned  to  look  back,  I  saw  that  the  female  had 
descended  from  her  carriage,  the  splendor  of  her  garb  was 
gone,  and  she  wore  now,  instead,  a  dark-colored,  close-fit- 
ting frock,  which  trailed  upon  the  ground. 

They  seemed  to  be  waiting  for  some  one  to  come,  and 
thej  were  far  more  deliberate  and  cool  in  their  actions 
than  I  fancied  they  would  be.  While  they  were  consulting, 
a  spirit  came  and  said  he  had  been  with  me  all  day,  and 
he  detailed  to  them  the  influence  he  had  exerted  over  me, 
and  had  brought  me  to  the  point  nearly  of  quarreling  with 
the  Doctor,  but  he  said  it  was  not  too  late  yet. 

One  thing  they  said  among  themselves  was,  "  He  has 
been  striving  all  his  life  long  to  win  the  good  opinions 
of  his  fellow-men,  and  is  very  sensitive  to  every  mark  of 
disrespect.  He  boasts  he  can  stand  the  withdrawal  of 
their  good  opinion.  Let  him  feel  this  neglect  every- 
where. Let  the  world  put  slights  upon  him.  He  is  not 
as  strong  as  he  thinks  he  is ;"  and,  he  added,  with  a  fiend- 
ish laugh,  "if  we  can  not  make  him  flinch,  we  can  make 
him  suffer." 

I  noticed  on  the  right  side  of  me  some  spirits  who  were 
conversing  of  the  Doctor  and  me.  One  of  them  who  took 
the  lead  in  the  conversation  was  tall  and  thin,  with  a 
hooked  nose  and  large,  prominent  chin.  I  had  seen  him 
before,  but  J  could  not  remember  where.  With  what  bit- 
terness he  hated  the  Doctor,  and  me,  and  all  mankind.  He 
had  been  very  selfish  in  this  world,  and  had  been  eminently 
successful  in  amassing  wealth  and  power,  but  found  now 
that  all  was  in  vain.  He  had  lived  in  vain,  for  his  wealth 
and  power  were  gone,  and  he  hated  alike  God  and  man, 
for  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  was  now  destined  to  live  for- 
ever in  that  dark  society,  without  hope  of  amelioration 
or  end  to  his  sad  life.  He  told  his  companions  that  he 
had  been  with  the  Doctor  and  me,  and  that  we  had  been 
almost  ready  to  quarrel.  They  must  yet  bring  that 
about,  but  it  must  be  done  adroitly,  for  we  had  been 
forewarned,  and  were  on  our  guard.     One  of  that  party,  I 

16 


24:2  SriRITUALISM. 

perceived,  had  a  personal  hostility  to  the  Doctor.  I  de- 
scribed his  appearance,  but  the  Doctor  could  not  recognize 
hini. 

I  soon  perceived  that  their  whole  plan  of  operations  had 
been  concerted,  and  the  task  divided  among  them.  One 
was  to  excite  our  irritability  and  embroil  us,  if  possible, 
with  each  other  and  with  others,  to  make  us  jealous,  impa- 
tient, angry. 

Each  one's  share  of  the  task  was  distributed  to  him  by  a 
spirit  of  much  activity,  who  floated  around  over  the  heads 
of  the  party  telling  each  his  part.  I  perceived  that  some 
of  those  spirits  were  influenced  by  a  general  feeling  of 
hatred,  and  a  desire  to  put  a  stop  to  that  which  they  know 
will  benefit  mankind.  Others  were  influenced  by  an  emo- 
tion of  jealousy  toward  those  who  believe  this  new  doc- 
trine, and  who  enjoy  a  privilege  which  had  been  denied  to 
them.  They  saw  no  end  to  their  condition.  They  thought 
that  it  was  eternal,  and  they  recognized  no  reason  why  we 
should  have  what  they  did  not  possess.  Some  of  them  I 
saw  had  the  same  personal  feelings  of  enmity  they  had  on 
earth,  and  some  wQre  angry  because  we  had  not  been  so 
easily  moved  by  them  as  others  had  been. 

The  spirit  who  was  passing  around  giving  instructions 
came  to  a  knot  of  five  or  six,  w^ho  seemed  from  their  garb 
and  manner  to  have  been  priests.  They  were  very  much 
despised,  even  by  that  dark  assemblage.  They  seemed  to 
feel  mean,  degraded,  and  trodden  upon,  for  all  treated 
them  with  contempt.  And  it  was  no  wonder,  for  they  had 
been  hypocrites  on  earth;  mere  sensuous  men,  very  mate- 
rial in  their  nature,  and  did  not  believe  the  doctrines  they 
taught,  nor  did  they  suppose  that  any  one  else  believed 
them,  and  they  thought  that  as  some  form  of  religion  was 
necessary  among  men,  theirs  had  been  devised.  They  found, 
now,  how  sad  a  mistake  they  had  made,  but  they  knew 
no  remedy.  They  were  too  much  cowed  and  dispirited  to 
act,  and  seemed  too  stupid  to  understand  the  instructions 
given  them.     They  answered,  by  saying  listlessly,  "  What 


SPIRITUALISM.  243 

can  we  do  3"  The  directing  spirit  turned  from  them  with 
undisguised  contempt. 

At  this  moment  my  attention  was  called  to  what  was 
directly  over  my  head,  and  which  I  had  not  before  noticed. 
There  I  saw  the  devil,  if  there  is  one.  Yet  he,  like  the 
others,  had  lived  as  a  mortal  once  on  earth.  He  was  float- 
ing directly  over  me,  on  the  lower  edge  of  that  dark  and 
lowering  cloud.  He  was  calm,  composed,  stern,  and  reso- 
lute. He  was  alone  in  his  elevation,  and  looked  down 
with  contempt  even  upon  those  who  were  most  slavishly 
carrying  out  his  plans.  There  was  great  determination 
of  character  displayed  in  his  face,  yet  his  exterior  was  re- 
markably calm.  He  seemed  to  have  a  faint  suspicion  that 
I  was  seeing  him,  and  he  attempted  to  hide  his  eyes  from 
my  sight  by  shading  them  with  his  hand.  He  did  not 
succeed,  for  I  saw  his  eyes,  and  through  them  down  into 
his  brain,  and  while  with  all  the  others  the  eyes  seemed  to 
be  two  glowing  coals  of  fire,  his  whole  brain  seemed  to  be 
a  furiously  raging  furnace,  filled  with  a  blazing  red  flame. 
How  that  raging  fire  was  ever  tormenting  him  !  yet  he 
covered  it  with  that  calm  exterior,  like  the  fires  of  ^tna 
raging  beneath  its  snow-capped  summit.  And  while  he 
calmly  looked  on  the  bustling,  moving  crowd  below, 
formed  plans  for  them,  and  superintended  their  execution, 
he  rejoiced  that  in  it  all  he  could  find  pleasure — in  the 
success  of  his  plans  by  our  suffering  and  fall,  and  in  the 
failure  of  them  by  their  rage  and  disappointment. 

I  saw  in  the  crowd  a  spirit  whom  I  had  seen  before.  He 
was  fantastic  in  his  appearance  and  actions,  yet  filled  with' 
hate,  and  incessantly  active.  He  was  dressed  to  represent 
the  devil  as  he  is  often  painted  by  man.  He  wore  a  cap, 
which,  close  fitting  to  his  head,  was  ornamented  with  what 
seemed  two  horns.  His  feet  were  so  dressed  that  they 
seemed  to  be  cloven,  and  he  had  appended  to  him  the  ap- 
pearance of  wings  and  a  tail.  He  was  very  dark  and  som- 
ber, and  around  his  mouth  he  had  painted  red  streaks,  so 
that  when  he  opened  it  and  thrust  out  his  huge  tongue  his 


244:  SPIRITUALISM. 

appearance  was  most  disgusting.  He  seemed  to  be  tlie 
harlequin  of  tlie  group,  yet  never  paused  in  his  intense  and 
bitter  hate. 

One  of  their  plans  was  most  horrible.  It  was  to  work 
upon  one  of  my  children  till  she  should  be  made  insane, 
and  then  throw  her  into  a  trance,  so  that  fancying  her 
dead,  I  might  have  her  buried,  and  afterward  discover  that 
I  had  buried  her  alive !  A  plan  so  hellish  and  over  which 
they  gloated,  made  me  shudder  and  grow  sick. 

I  saw  that  the  spirit  who  floated  around  giving  orders 
returned  again  to  the  knot  of  priests,  and  told  them  they 
must  influence  their  brother  priests  on  earth  to  carry  out 
their  plans.  They  answered  him,  with  a  feeling  of  weak- 
ness and  despondency,  that  "  It  was  of  no  use,  the  clergy  on 
earth  would  not  dare  to  do  it,  for  fear  they  might  lose  their 
situations."  That  directing  spirit  turned  from  them  again, 
with  utter  scorn,  exclaiming,  "  Miserable  devils  !  incapable 
alike  of  Good  or  Evil."  I  saw  that  all  the  other  spirits 
kept  aloof  from  them,  and  that  while  all  the  others  were 
actively  engaged  and  conversing  with  each  other,  they 
stood  silent,  listless,  useless,  and  desponding. 

I  saw  that  one  of  their  plans  was  to  affect  our  healths, 
which  they  boasted  they  could  do,  by  means  of  their  mag- 
netism. 

They  subjected  the  whole  c'ompany  to  a  very  rigid  scru- 
tiny, for  they  saw  that  their  former  plans  had  been  be- 
trayed to  us  by  some  one,  and  they  denounced  the  severest 
vengeance  against  the  one  who  did  that.  It  was  manifest 
to  me,  that  they  were  not  at  all  aware  that  I  was  seeing 
them. 

Here  it  was  written  through  the  Doctor : 

Let  the  circle  now  sit  still  and  see  the  manner  in  which 
the  bright  spirits  enter,  and  hear  the  explanation  of  all  that 
has  been  revealed,  and  how  it  is  to  be  thwarted. 

Then  I  saw  penetrating  through  that  darjs  cloud  a  bril- 


SPIRITUALISM.  245 

liant  light  come,  driving  it  back  and  scattering  those  dark 
spirits  in  all  directions.  It  came  like  a  blazing,  brilliant 
sun,  in  circles  of  light,  their  edges,  blue,  crimson,  and  pur- 
ple, and  floating  in  it  were  innumerable  bright  and  happy 
spirits.  In  its  center  was  Sweedenborg  again,  with  his 
book  and  breastplate,  and  the  room  was  filled  with  bright 
spirits. 

And  I  was  told  that  their  fiendish  plans  can  be  defeated 
by  our  own  purity,  and  that  to  our  own  efforts  we  must 
owe  our  purity  and  our  protection. 

Directly  over  Sweedenborg  appeared  two  spirits,  bearing 
a  scroll  on  which  was  written:  "The  Ti'uth  against  the 
World."  Sweedenborg  pointed  up  to  it,  and  the  scene 
slowly  faded  from  my  view. 


Thursday,  Oct.  13th,  1853. 

This  evening,  at  my  library,  all  the  circle  were  present,  with  the  ad- 
dition of  General  Bullard,  of  Waterford.  It  was  suggested  by  Mr.  Sweet 
that  a  particular  course  of  manifestations,  which  he  pointed  out,  should 
be  pursued,  and  in  answer  it  was  written : 

It  is  sometimes,  when  all  the  spirits  are  assembled  here 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  a  certain  plan,  almost  im- 
possible to  arrange  the  magnetic  current  so  as  to  commu- 
nicate freely,  and  it  ought  to  be  understood  that  when  the 
higher  spirits  come  to  your  circle,  really  to  do  good,  the 
absence  of  any  member  positively  interferes  with  the  whole 
order  of  manifestation.  Certainly,  therefore,  it  is  of  im- 
portance that  each  member  should  be  present,  unless  de- 


246  SPIEITITALISM. 

tained  by  sickness,  and  that  no  ordinary  excuse  should  be 
given  or  received  unless  a  high  and  noble  duty  prevents 
attendance. 

Spirits  come  from  afar,  and  leave  their  happy  homes  to 
visit  you.  They  forego  many  pleasures  to  do  you  good, 
and  they  are  invariably  here.  How  much  they  are  disap- 
pointed at  finding  the  circle  incomplete,  we  leave  you  to 
judge ;  but  the  fact  must  be  told,  that  they  can  not  com- 
municate, and  when  the  order  of  communication  is  estab- 
lished, to  interfere  in  any  way  to  break  up  the  concerted 
plan,  causes  a  desultory  teaching  to  result  instead  of  those 
for  our  second  volume. 

Let  this,  therefore,  be  rectified,  and  let  every  member 
feel  obliged  to  be  present,  except  sickness  or  some  impera- 
tive duty  prevents.  Bacon. 

If,  therefore,  any  naembors  of  the  circle  can  not  attend, 
or  will  sufi"er  slight  circumstances  to  prev^t  attendance, 
make  your  arrangements  without  reference  to  them ;  as  I  am 
now  directed  to  say,  that  in  consequence  of  the  non-attend- 
ance of  members,  from  whom  much  was  and  is  expected, 
some  spirits  have  discontinued  their  visits  to  you,  who 
would  have  given  much  that  would  have  been  of  invalu- 
able benefit  to  the  whole  world. 

Friends,  'tis  no  slight  matter  to  drive  away  a  spirit,  in 
fact,  to  grieve  him  so  as  to  prevent  his  utterance  of  that 
which  is  of  so  much  importance  to  know  ;  and  could  you 
see  the  feeling  which  now  disturbs  the  spirits  to-night,  you 
would  feel  that  this  duty  was  the  most  important  of  that 
which  influences  your  whole  life.  Your  circle  must  es- 
tablish a  ready  and  active  current,  so  that  all  kinds  of  rev- 
elations may  be  made.  You  are  standing  still  instead  of 
progressing.     Why  is  this  so  ?     Think  and  answer. 

This  morning  many  spirits  met  in  'this  room  to  consult 
about  the  condition  of  this  circle.  Among  the  many  things 
which  have  retarded  the  advance  of  the  circle  as  a  whole  was 
what  has  been  mentioned,  but  there  are  others,  and  I  must 


SPIRITUALISM.  247 

say,  that  your  own  feelings  have  not  been  right  and  true. 
Let  the  circle  individually  ask  the  question  of  themselves, 
Have  I,  by  my  feelings,  retarded  my  own  and  the  circle's 
advance  ?  and  you  will  see  what  will  be  the  answer.  We 
feel  grieved  that  there  exists  among  tliose  for  whom  we 
have  striven  to  do  so  much,  any  feelings  which  ought  not 
to  be  fostered  or.  entertained. 

What  are  our  objects  and  purposes  ?  "Why  are  we  here  ? 
Oh  !  if  you  wish  to  stand  on  the  mountain's  height  and 
overlook  the  whole  prospect  of  life  here  and  hereaftei*, 
cherish  no  unkind  feelings,  thrust  from  your  hearts  thoughts 
which  cloud  the  prospect  and  dim  the  brightness  of  the 
future.  We  know  what  you  think  ;  every  feeling  of  your 
souls  is  open  to  our  view^,  strive-  to  conceal  them  as  you 
may.  But  they  stand  out  to  our  ken  as  distinct  as  though 
you  gave  them  utterance.  Do  you  think  that  in  your  acts 
you  do  not  manifest  feelings  ?  And  have  your  acts  been 
characterized  by  that  high  principle  of  love  you  profess  to 
believe  and  cherish?  • 

It  is  no  pleasant  task  to  speak  in  this  manner,  but  we 
chasten  for  your  good  and  for  the  good  of  the  cause.  Let 
but  one  evil  thought  or  purpose  be  entertained  or  executed, 
and  the  whole  cause  must  suffer,  and  perhaps  be  retarded 
for  years ! 

We  desire  that  you  may  take  our  lesson  as  intended,  for 
your  good  alone,  and  believe  us  that  in  your  chastisement 
is  our  suffering.  We  want  you  to  talk  this  matter  up,  and 
arrange  some  system  that  we  may  go  on  as  before. 

Lnagine  to  yourselves  some  twenty  spirits  from  the 
higher  spheres  whose  magnetism  differs  from  ours.  They 
are  here,  and  A\'%ile  here  assist  in  establishing  a  current 
by  which  all  who  are  designated  can  communicate.  ]S"ow, 
when  they  find,  night  after  night,  the  medium  indisposed, 
or  unwilling,  or  absent,  their  citrrent  is  disturbed,  and  they 
can  not  teach. 

On  Sunday  last  the  teaching  was  entirely  different  from 
that  intended ;  the  higher  spirits  wished  to  communicate, 


24:8  SPIKITTJALISM. 

but  the  medium  was  not  in  condition,  and  another  spirit 
took  possession.  Another  thing,  when  some  of  you  have 
staid  a  certain  time  you  are  impatient  to  go,  and  it  is  the 
case,  that  when  the  full  circulation  of  the  magnetism  is 
perfectly  established  that  the  higher  teaching  can  be  given 
— thus  it  may  be  in  the  latter  part  of  the  evening  that  the 
most  important  teachings  can  come. 

For  all  or  for  nothing ;  for  every  thing  or  for  naught, 
should  be  your  motto.  You  can  not  love  God  and  the 
world,  and  in  this  cause  you  profess  to  love  God  and  to 
carry  out  the  truth  as  it  is  revealed  by  his  instruments. 

Now  your  consultations  will  be  of  service  as  they  will 
arouse  your  thought  to  the  importance  of  what  we  say, 
and  you  will  act  accordingly. 

Thus  far  it  was  Bacon  who  wrote  ]  now  Sweedenborg  wrote  as  follows, 
in  reference  to  a  remark  made  by  one  of  us,  that  we  hoped  they  would 
be  patient  with  us,  and  let  us  try  to  restore  the  efficiency  and  usefulness 
of  the  circle : 

Yes,  we  are  patient.  We  watch  like  the  stars,  whose 
silvery  light  is  still  shedding  its  mild  beams  down  on  the 
darkened  earth,  though  clouds  do  intervene  and  shadow 
their  radiance.  We  watch  the  seed  we  have  planted,  though 
the  thorns  of  life  spring  up  and  choke  their  growth.  We 
watch  you  while  engaged  in  the  active  business  of  life,  or 
when  your  thoughts,  turned  inward  and  searching  your 
own  hearts,  bring  up  to  your  own  consciousness  the  truth 
that  you  are  not  perfect.  We  are  patient,  for  we  wait  the 
time  when  you  will  develop  all  that  is  good  and  true  in 
your  natures.  We  wait  for  the  ocean  in  its  ceaseless  mo- 
tion to  cast  up  on  the  shore  the  inestimable  pearls  which 
lie  hid  in  its  bosom.  We  ask  you  to  bear  and  forbear, 
to  temper  your  feelings  to  the  condition  of  feelings  as  you 
find  them  in  others.  Oh !  were  not  truth  omnipotent ; 
were  not  truth  against  the  world  worth  waiting  and  watch- 
ing for,  what  use  would  it  be  that  the  spirit  waits  so  long 
for  the  golden  gates  to  be  opened  that  it  should  partake 
of  those  joys  never,  never  to  cease? 


SPIRITUALISM.  249 

What  is  life  but  watching  and  waiting  for  that  happiness 
always  to  come,  but  never  to  be  found  in  your  world  ? 

Come,  then.  Let  your  hearts  renew  their  efforts,  and 
let  your  spirits  unite  with  ours  in  a  fresh  attempt  to  achieve 
a  victory  over  self.  'Tis  in  yourselves  you  will  find  the 
greatest  cause  for  trial.  In  self  is  all  that  retards  your 
progress  here  or  hereafter.  The  time  is  not  far  distant 
when  you  will  test  the  truths  we  have  taught,  for  you  will 
see  and  feel  that  in  yourselves  alone,  and  by  your  own 
efforts,  can  you  work  out  your  salvation. 

SWEEDENBORG. 

Then  it  was  added  by  Lord  Bacon :        \ 

ISTow,  Judge,  we  will  impress  you  for  a  few  minutes,  and 
give  you  a  new  view  of  spirit  in  the  spheres. 

I  then  saw  as  follows  : 

VISION. 

Can  it  be  possible  that  I  am  right  ?  that  I  see  correctly  ? 

The  lesson  they  are  showing  me  is  that  the  spirits  are 
the  instruments  of  God  in  controlling  and  governing  the 
elements  ! 

"What  I  first  saw  was  a  comet  careering  through  space 
with  wonderful  velocity.  It  was  that  velocity  which  cre- 
ated its  light  and  heat.  It  was  nebulous,  composed  of 
many  distinct  particles  attracted  to  each  other,  but  not  yet 
united — some  were  left  behind  it  in  its  rapid  flight,  and 
some  were  lost  to  its  attraction  and  lagged  behind  in  the 
immensity  of  space,  losing  their  motion  and  light,  and  re- 
maining inert  in  space,  until  again  awakened  by  some  ex- 
ercise of  the  power  of  attraction. 

The  destiny  of  this  nebulous  mass  is  in  time,  and  by  the 
sure  and  gradual  operation  of  immutable  laws,  to  form  a 
dense  globe,  and  in  it  are  all  the  elements  of  such  a  world 
as  this,  from  the  merest  particle  of  inert  matter  to  the  form 
of  man. 


250  SPIEITUALISM. 

The  process  of  its  progress  I  saw  was  watclied  over, 
controlled,  and  directed  hj  an  innumerable  host  of  spirits, 
that  attended  it  in  its  course,  and  whose  business  it  was  to 
correct  and  restrain  all  aberrations  of  that  matter  from  the 
laws  constituted  for  its  government.  The  very  rarefied 
condition  of  this  matter,  with  the  extreme  rapidity  of  its 
motion,  were  calculated  to  disturb  "the  operation  of  those 
laws,  and  it  was  the  business  of  the  spirits  to  counteract 
that.  They  were  the  instruments  of  the  Great  Creator, 
charged  with  the  duty  and  clothed  with  the  power  of  ex- 
ecuting those  laws.  'Not  miraculously,  nor  in  contraven- 
tion or  by  a  suspension  of  them,  but  in  conformity  to 
them,  as  in  tilling  the  ground  and  planting  the  seed  we 
afford  the  opportunity  for  the  law  of  its  development  to 
operate. 

I  saw  the  spirits  performing  tjiis  duty,  some  of  them 
floating  along  outside  the  nucleus  watching,  and  others 
inside  exceedingly  busy.  I  saw  some  in  the  very  center 
of  it  very  active  as  if  something  was  out  of  order,  and  they 
were  engaged  in  the  task  of  putting  it  right.  I  saw,  too, 
that  occasionally  they  required  help  from  others,  and  im- 
mediately received  it  from  those  Vho  at  the  moment  were 
not  occupied. 

I  could  not  help  reflecting  what  a  magnificent  fate  it 
must  be,  thus  to  career  through  space  and  survey  the 
myriads  of  worlds  that  filled  it ! 

I  was  then  taken  near  to  this  earth  of  ours,  and  there  I 
saw — though  not  as  distinctly — the  same  occupation  of 
spirits  in  reference  to  this  globe. 

At  this  moment  it  was  written  through  Dr.  Dexter's  hand  : 

''If  you  desire,  you  will  see  that  the  spirits  engaged  in 
this  occupation  are  such  as  on  earth  are  occupied  in  in- 
vestigating the  great  laws  of  nature  there,  and  analyzing 
and  inventing,  and  by  their  discoveries  assisting  the  world 
to  understand  the  laws  of  God  and  their  action." 

Then  it  was  said  to  me  by  the  spirits  : 


SPIBITUALISM.  261 

Do  you  doubt  this?  Do  you  wonder  ?  Think  a  moment. 
If  one  spirit  is  strong  enough  to  move  the  Doctor's  arm 
against  his  will — if  one  could  grip  your^  and  hold  it  with 
an  iron  grasp,  from  which  you  could  not  escape — if  a  few 
of  them  can  make  the  sounds  you  have  heard,  and  move 
material  bodies  as  you  have  witnessed,  what  must  be  the 
united  power  of  the  countless  millions  who,  since  creation 
began,  have  been  rolling  out  into  the  regions  of  space 
from  the  innumerable  storehouses  of  human  life,  for  ages 
upon  ages  beyond  the  comprehension  of  man  ?  And  they 
said  to  me,  "  Recollect,  that  when  you  cast  oif  your  material 
trammels,  your  nervous  power  is  vastly  increased,  and  it 
will  not  be  difficult  for  you  to  realize  this  idea  as  natural 
and  probable."  They  told  me  they  were  intending  to  show 
me  their  operations  over  the  elements  here,  and  they 
wished  it  understood  that  their  power  was  only  to  execute 
God's  laws,  not  to  create,  and  to  execute  according  to  law, 
not  arbitrarily.  Sometimes  the  execution  of  the  duty  was 
attended  with  much  violence,  and  that  was  unavoidable, 
for  they  could  not  always  control  the  elements  as  they 
wished.  Hence  there  were  tornadoes,  hurricanes,  etc.,  and 
such  like  disturbances  in  <  the  elements.  The  equalization 
was  constantly  liable  to  be  disturbed  by  the  operation  of 
other  laws  arising  out  of  the  unprogressed  state  of  the 
earth — its  high  mountains,  its  deep  valleys,  its  great  in- 
equalities of  surface,  and  other  manifestations  of  its  impro- 
gressed  condition.  These  causes  operate  to  produce  these 
disturbances,  and  to  restore  the  equilibrium  must  at  times 
be  unavoidably  attended  with  other  disturbances.  Hence 
those  convulsions,  which  were  more  frequent  formerly  than 
now,  and  will  be  less  frequent  as  the  earth  progresses  to  its 
final  development. 

To  illustrate  this,  they  bore  me  to  the  moon,  and  I  was 
directly  over  it  where  I  could  see  its  surface  distinctly,  its 
high  prominences,  its  deep  valleys,  its  great  unevenness  of 
surface,  and  they  said  to  me,  "  Do  you  not  see  that  if  the 
moon  had  an  atmosphere  like  that  of  your  earth,  with  the 


252  SPIRITUALISM. 

rapidity  of  its  three-fold  motion,  that  atmosphere  must  be 
very  \nuch  disturbed  by  this  inequality  of  surface  ?  and  so 
too  with  water,  which  is  but  a  denser  element?  Can  you 
not  perceive  that  if  the  surface  of  this  globe  were  smooth 
and  level  and  free  from  these  inequalities,  the  elements 
would  not  be  as  much  disturbed  by  the  motion?"  They 
alluded,  they  said,  to  all  the  elements  which  go  to  consti- 
tute an  inhabitable  globe,  for  all  were  subject  to  the  same 
law. 

I  observed  with  much  minuteness  the  surface  of  the 
moon.  I  saw  no  living  thing  there  except  a  few  plants. 
Sometimes  in  the  crevices  of  the  crumbling  rocks,  where 
some  little  soil  had  gathered,  there  were  a  few  specimens 
of  vegetation ;  but  they  were  large,  coarse,  low,  creeping 
weeds. 

I  saw  many  different  colored  rocks ;  some  looked  like 
hard  slaty  rocks — some  streaks  that  seemed  to  be  light- 
colored  granite — some  shining  and  sparkling  in  veins  as  if 
gold  and  silver — some  very  black  and  shining,  like  anthra- 
cite coal. 

These  things  I  saw  in  a  vast  basin,  as  it  were,  like  the 
crater  of  a  volcano,  with  huge,  craggy  rocks  bounding  it 
on  all  sides,  and  jutting  far  up.  I  saw  no  water.  Some 
of  the  rocks  had  fallen  from  the  sides  and  tumbled  into  the 
valleys,  where  they  were  crumbling.  But  every  thing  was 
dreary,  desolate,  silent,  solitary.  The  spirit  of  life  had  not 
yet  been  developed. 

I  saw,  however,  that  there  were  fires  burning  beneath  its 
surface.  In  one  place  a  dense  black  smoke  ascended,  oc- 
casionally illumed  by  a  lurid  flame  that  shot  up  amid  the 
awful  desolation  of  the  scene. 

They  told  me  then  to  turn  my  eyes,  and  from  where  I 
was  to  view  the  earth.  It  seemed  a  monstrous  ball  of  pale 
light,  but  quite  different  from  the  appearance  of  the  moon 
to  us,  in  this,  that  it  did  not  show  the  great  inequalities  of 
surface  of  the  moon,  but  more  like  Jupiter  with  its  belts, 
occasioned  by  the  workings  of  its  atmosphere. 

/ 


SPIRITUALISM.  263 

/ 

The  size  appeared  so  much  larger  than  the  moon  does  to 
us,  that  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  it  were  nearer. 

As  I  noticed  it,  I  saw  spirits  also  accompanying  it  in  its 
round,  employed  as  they  were  on  the  comet.  I  saw,  too, 
that  our  earth  in  its  course  left  behind  it  a  tail  like  the 
comet,  but  much  more  sublimated  and  almost  invisible  to 
me.  That  was  the  denser  and  more  impure  parts  of  our 
atmosphere,  which  were  thrown  off  in  its  course.  As  each 
individual  on  earth  is  constantly  imbibing  from  the  atmo- 
sphere around  him  the  element  of  vitality,  and  throwing 
off  such  portions  of.it  as  are  not  incorporated  into  his 
system,  so  the  earth,  in  passing  through  space,  is  con- 
stantly imbibing  the  elements  of  vitality  for  its  atmosphere, 
and  throwing  off  such  portions  as  are  useless. 

The  same  law  operates  throughout  all  creation,  spring- 
ing from  and  guided  by  the  same  Wisdom.  And  thus  the 
space  through  which  the  earth  moves  is  the  great  store- 
house from  which  its  atmosphere  is  constantly  replenished, 
as  in  its  turn  our  atmosphere  is  the  storehouse  whence 
man's  vitality  is  replenished. 

I  saw  that  the  moon  had  some  atmosphere,  but  too  in- 
considerable in  amount  to  permit  the  existence  of  life, 
except  a  few  of  the  lowest  and  least  developed  plants. 

I  saw,  too,  that  our  atmosphere  was  more  dense  near  the 
earth,  and  more  rarefied  step  by  step,  without  any  definite 
termination,  though  there  was  a  point  beyond  which  it 
could  not  be  detected  by  mortal  observation. 

The  spirits  who  floated  in  the  outer  and  more  rarefied 
portions  seemed  to  me  to  be  brighter  and  of  a  higher  order 
than  those  w)io  herded  near^  the  surface  of  the  earth. 
The  latter  were  darker  and  more  heavy,  more  sluggish. 
Many  of  them  seemed  afflicted  with  a  sort  of  listless  indif- 
ference as  if  they  had  no  purpose,  no  object  in  view.  They 
seemed  to  be  unhappy,  and  to  wonder  if  they  were  created 
for  that  and  nothing  else.  They  looked  upon  the  earth,  as  they 
floated  with  it  along  near  its  surface,  with  a  strong  attach- 
ment to  it — with  a  burning  desire  to  be  again  on  it,  but 


254  SPIRITUALISM.  V 

with  a  consciousness  that  that  couki  not  be,  and  that  they 
were  separated  from  it  forever.  Their  condition  was  very 
unhappy — some  were  angry  at  it,  some  sorrowful,  and  they 
were  quite  unconscious  of  the  nearness  to  them  of  those 
brighter  spirits,  for  they  could  not  see  them  any  more  than 
we  can.  I  saw  a  marked  contrast  between  the  two  classes. 
The  brighter  ones  frequently  clustered  together,  assisted 
one  another,  and  were  happy.  The  darker  ones  most 
commonly  wandered  alone,  but  would  sometimes  cluster 
together,  and  then  quarrels  and  jarrings  among  themselves 
were  ever  there.  Their  feelings  were  very  bad,  and  they 
vented  them  on  each  other.  And  I  saw  occasionally  that 
a  brighter  spirit  would  dart,  with  the  celerity  of  thought, 
through  the  denser  parts  of  the  atmosphere  and  the  ever- 
wandering  crowd  of  darker  spirits,  down  to  earth's  surface 
to  hold  holy  communion  with  man. 


tdian  ^btni^-m. 


Sunday^  Oct.  IGth^  1853. 

This  evening  the  circle  met  at  my  library,  and  after  a  brief  commu- 
nication through  Mrs.  Sweet,  in  relation  to  our  harmony,  in  which  Mr. 
S.  made  some  suggestions  as  to  our  mode  of  proceeding,  it  was  written  : 

Since  the  formation  of  this  circle  there  has  been  but  one 
instance  of  a  want  of  harmony,  and  this  only  for  a  few  mo- 
ments. It  becomes  those  spirits  who  originally  met  with 
you  to  answer  the  suggestion  made,  and  we  do  so  plainly, 
because  it  is  not  that  one,  two,  or  three  of  you  might  be 
influenced,  and  thus  affect  the  minds  of  others.  For  the 
truths  we  desire  to  teach,  for  the  good  we  hope  to  accom- 
plish, we  wish  the  method  we  pursue  should  be  understood 


SPIRITUALISM.  255 

and  appreciated  by  all.  You  are  all  working  for  one  ob- 
ject, and  it  matters  not  who  is  influenced  if  the  teaching 
reaches  the  design  we  wish  carried  out. 

If  one  of  you  is  under  influence,  it  does  not  and  can  not 
afi'ect  another  magnetically ;  that  is,  it  will  not  interrupt 
the  exhibition  through  another ;  but  if  your  minds  are 
disturbed,  the  disturbance  arises  from  yourselves,  and 
can  in  no  sense  change  the  intent  of  the  communication 
going  on. 

We  can  not  lay  down  any  given  plan  of  action  at  the 
commencement  of  a  meeting  ;  for  though  the  great  princi- 
ples are  laid  out  and  we  act  on  them,  yet  to  say  that  we 
will  do  so  and  so,  might  place  us  in  an  awkward  condi- 
tion, as  we  might  not  be  able  to  fulfill  what  we  say  we 
will  do.  The  very  best  teachings  and  visions  through  the 
Doctor,  Judge,  and  Mrs.  S.  were  given,  as  it  were,  im- 
promptu ;  and  though  there  are  many  bright  spirits  here 
from  the  higher  spheres  who  purpose  to  reveal  through  all 
of  you,  yet  we  find  that  sometimes  one  spirit  can  influence, 
and  then  another,  and  then  another,  and  so  on.  We  com- 
mence working  on  you  from  the  moment  you  are  seated 
till  you  leave,  and  it  often  requires  hours  to  place  you  in 
such  a  state  as  we  can  freely  communicate  with  you.  Thus, 
again,  the  bright  spirits  may  not  be  able  to  come  here  till 
late,  and  then  we  must  use  the  means  we  have  till  they 
come.  You  see,  therefore,  how  we  are  situated,  and  you 
will  remember  that  we  shall  not  disturb  you  by  any  thing 
we  do  if  you  will  not  allow  your  own  minds  to  operate  and 
disturb  yourselves.  We,  on  the  whole,  will  judge  what  to 
do,  and  we  will  direct  you  properly  ;  therefore  leave  to  us 
the  arrangement,  and  you  shall  be  directed  right,  etc.,  etc. 

Bacon. 

There  are  spirits  here  who  wish  to  give  the  Judge  a 
vision,  and  it  will  be  the  brightest  and  most  gorgeous  he 
has  ever  witnessed.  Therefore,  for  a  few  moments,  talk 
and  relieve  yourselves,  and  then  hear  the  vision.     We  shall 


260 


SPIRITUALISM 


allow  you  forty  minutes,  and  you  must  talk  right  up  to 
the  matter  seen  without  prolixity,  as  we  mean  to  go  the 
rounds. 

Then  came  this 

VISION. 

Away  off  in  the  regions  of  space,  as  if  in  the  midst  ol 
the  starry  firmament,  I  saw  a  bright  and  majestic  spirit  sit- 
ting in  a  sort  of  throne,  which  was  placed  on  a  fleecy,  white 
cloud.  A  few  feet  above  his  head  reposed  a  wreath  of 
flowers,  from  whence  flowed  rays  of  light  to  his  head,  form- 
ing, as  it  were,  a  crown  of  light  and  flowers.  He  had  on  a 
loose  garment,  beautifully  variegated  with  blue  and  pink, 
and  ornamented  with  purple  velvet,  which  sparkled  as  with 
diamonds.  His  left  hand  rested  on  a  globe,  on  the  arm 
of  his  seat,  from  which  radiated  a  golden  light,  indicative 
of  affection.  On  the  right  arm  of  his  chair  was  a  similar 
globe,  radiating  a  silver  light,  indicating  wisdom.  His 
right  arm  was  raised,  and  he  pointed  me  to  a  distant  view. 
He  was  evidently  of  a  higher  command,  in  the  execution 
of  God's  laws,  than  any  I  had  yet  seen.  Far  beneath  him 
were  innumerable  stars  of  all  sizes  careering  through  space, 
and  apparently  gamboling  in  the  exuberance  of  their  joy."^ 
At  first  the  scene  seemed  to  me  one  of  great  disorder ;  but 
as  I  gazed,  I  saw  how  all  was  order  and  harmony.  I  saw 
many  spirits  coming  to  and  going  from  him,  as  if  with 
messages — coming  as  from  the  distant  stars,  and  vanishing 
in  space  with  inconceivable  rapidity. 

While  I  gazed,  I  saw  a  very  bright  light,  most  gor- 
geous, like  a  blazing  sun,  approaching  him  from  behind, 
and  forming  a  background  to  him.  The  rays  of  it  were 
ever  shooting  out  from  its  center  various  hues,  yet  it 
seemed  fornierl  of  numberless  concentric  rings  of  different 
colors.  I  can  convey  no  adequate  idea  of  its  glorious 
splendor. 

That  light  was  the  central  sun  of  all  those  systems  of 
worlds  I  saw  beneath  his  feet,  and  he  was  the  high  and 


SPIRITUALISM.  257 

holy  intelligence  that  governed  their  action  in  obedience 
to  the  laws  of  God. 

He  arose  from  his  seat,  and  leaning  on  it  with  one  arm, 
he  pointed  me  with  the  other  off  to  his  right.  There  I  saw 
a  bright  and  dazzling  spirit  with  no  clothing  upon  him,  but 
shining  like  burnished  silver.  He  was  floating  in  the  blue 
ethereal,  and  seemed  a  great  storehouse  of  dazzling  light, 
which  he  was  scattering  from  him  in  all  directions. 

J  saw  that  he  was  superior  to  the  other  spirit,  yet  I  felt 
as  if  there  was  a  sense  of  solitude  about  him,  and  that  he 
had  no  companions.  He  replied  to  my  thought  by  spread- 
ing out  his  hands  and  saying,  "These  worlds  are  my  com- 
panions ;  my  solitude  is  peopled  by  myriads  of  shining  in- 
telligences." 

He  pointed  me  to  other  systems  of  worlds  far  off  in  the 
illimitable  distance,  and  immense  in  number.  He  seemed 
to  be  the  apex  of  a  cone  ;  spreading  out  and  beneath  him 
were  the  worlds  which  he  governed,  whose  guide  and  di- 
rector he  was.  He  pointed  me  to  one  still  higher  than 
himself,  his  superior  in  power  and  wisdom.  Of  that  one  I 
saw  only  the  head. 

The  great  lesson  taught  by  these  scenes  is  the  occupation 
of  the  spirits,  one  above  another,  in  the'ir  career  of  pro- 
gression— each  greater  than  the  other,  and  executing  God's 
laws  on  a  larger  scale  and  in  a  higher  sphere. 

Through  the  Doctor's  hand  it  was  here  written : 

"This  is  one  process  of  development.  Watch  and  see 
his  form  rising  from  that  brilliant  cloud  of  lambent  flame. 
This  personifies  truth  as  developed  to  minds  prepared  to 
receive  it.  You  never,  perhaps,  may  see  any  thing  so 
brilliant  and  gorgeous  again.  Let  the  circle  be  particular- 
ly silent,  and  let  their  minds  turn  to  this  subject." 

The  vision  proceeded : 

There  arose  up  from  beneath  this  bodiless  spirit  a  beau- 
tiful rose-colored,  flame-like  cloud,  in  the  center  of  which 
appeared  a  magnificent  temple  enveloped  in  this  rose-col- 

17 


268  SPIRITUALISM. 

ored  light.  It  was  indeed  a  glorious  sight,  which  language 
is  inadequate  to  describe. 

The  temple  was  surrounded  by  a  great  number  of  spirits, 
with  musical  instruments  in  their  hands,  and  from  them 
arose  a  flood  of  music,  far  surpassing  any  thing  ever  heard 
by  mortal  ears.  The  building  had  a  Doric  roof,  and  stood 
high  up  from  its  base.  It  was  ascended  by  a  flight  of  many 
steps,  extending  across  the  whole  front.  There  were  three 
rows  of  columns  on  each  side,  of  infinite  variety  of  colors  ; 
they  were  not  Doric  in  form,  but  tall  and  slender,  and 
somewhat  of  the  Ionic  order.  This  temple  was  open  at  its 
sides,  and  its  pavement  and  columns  shone  with  a  brilliant, 
sparkling  gleam  amid  that  rose- colored  atmosphere. 

On  each  side  of  the  building  was  a  glorious  garden,  va- 
riegated with  water,  shrubbery,  and  flowers,  equally  daz- 
zling in  their  brilliancy.  The  leaves  of  the  flowers  and 
plants  were  transparent,  yet  shone  with  a  glitter  like  the 
ice-plant,  or  as  if  covered  with  frost  in  the  morning  sun. 
The  water  was  now  a  calm  and  placid  pool,  now  a  bub- 
bling stream,  now  a  jet,  and  anon  a  tumbling  fall.  The 
flowers  were  of  all  possible  colors,  and  I  could  see  their 
perfume  arise  from  them  and  mingle  with  the  atmosphere. 
At  the  same  I  tould  see  the  plants  drinking  in,  through 
their  leaves,  the  life-principle  from  the  atmosphere,  and 
giving  it  out  sublimated  and  refined  as  perfume.  Those 
plants  were  in  all  stages  of  development,  so  that  it  seemed 
as  if  spring  and  summer,  conjoined,  reigned  there  forever. 
There  was  every  variety  of  foliage  and  shady  trees,  now 
dense,  dark  and  cool,  and  now  sparse  and  transparent.  The 
water  was  full  of  fishes,  gamboling  in  the  joyousness  of 
life  in  such  pure  waters,  and  the  air  was  full  of  birds,  ren- 
dering it  beautiful  with  their  plumage,  and  vocal  with 
their  song.  One  bird  I  noticed  in  particular ;  he  was  brown 
and  plain  in  look,  and  as  he  reposed  on  a  limb  of  one  of  the 
trees,  he  sent  up  his  joyous  song,  ringing  clear  over  all  oth- 
er sounds — its  notes  like  the  softest  flute,  expressive  of  hap- 
piness, and  imparting  a  feeling  of  gladness  to  all  around. 


S  PIEITUALISM.  269 

The  basement  of  the  temple,  I  saw,  was  prepared  and 
fitted  up  for  a  room  in  which  public  meetings  were  to  be 
held.  At  one  end  of  it  was  the  seat  of  the  presiding  spirit. 
It  was  the  precise,  tomb-like  monument  of  myself  that  I 
had  seen  once  before,  on  which  was  recorded  my  age  when 
I  died.  Back  of  that,  on  the  wall,  was  a  picture  of  that 
cross  in  the  sky,  which  I  had  seen  with  its  attendant  spirit 
and  its  scrolls.  Beneath  that  picture  was  my  new  seal 
painted,  and  on  each  side  two  other  seals ;  they  consisted 
of  shields  with  emblazonry.  One  had'  a  cross-bar  running 
diagonally,  above  which  was  the  scene  of  the  good  Samar- 
itan ;  and  below  a  bright  spirit,  who  was  lifting  a  slave 
from  the  ground  and  knocking  off  his  chains.  The  scroll 
beneath  the  shield  contained  these  words:  "Love  con- 
quers all  things."  This  was  Doctor  Dexter's  coat  of  arms  ; 
the  other  was  Mr.  Warren's.  It  was  quartered  by  bars 
crossing  each  other  at  right-angles.  In  one  quarter  was  a 
shepherd  surrounded  by  his  flock  ;  he  was  reclining  under 
a  tree,  and  examining  the  starry  firmament.  In  the  second 
quarter  was  a  man  far  down  in  a  deep  pit,  and  examining 
the  formation  of  the  rock  and  earth.  In  the  third,  a  man 
reading ;  and  in  the  fourth,  one  with  crucibles,  and  other 
chemical  apparatus.  The  inscription  here  was,  "  Knowl- 
edge is  Progressive." 

That  end  of  the  room  was  goi^eous  and  beautiful.  Be- 
tween the  shields  were  columns  of  just  proportions,  and 
richly  carved;  and  between  the  columns  hung  full  and 
flowing  drapery  of  various  colors,  tastefully  blended,  hang- 
ing in  festoons  very  light  and  graceful. 

Along  the  sides  of  the  room  were  suspended  many  ban- 
ners of  various  colors,  with  blazonry  on  them  ;  one  feature 
was  that  they  were  not  dusty  or  dingy,  as  they  are  apt  to 
be  with  us. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  building  the  garden  had  a  deeper 
shade  and  a  more  dense  foliage  than  in  that  part  which  I 
have  already  described,  and  it  terminated  in  a  gentle  slope, 
from  the  summit  of  which  was  exposed  to  view  a  landscape 


260  SPIRITUALISM. 

exquisitely  lovely  and  very  extensive.  It  was  variegated  by 
towers  and  palaces,  and  stately  mansions,  by  water,  deep 
groves,  and  green  fields,  and  all  seen  by  that  soft,  rosy 
light,  and  seeming  to  be  full  to  overflowing  with  joy  and 
gladness. 

In  the  garden  were  statues,  and  grottoes,  and  summer 
bowers,  and  rustic  seats.  In  one  place  was  a  gigantic 
bronze  statue,  with  a  lofty,  benevolent  countenance;  one 
hand  was  outstretched,  pointing  upward,  and  with  the 
other  it  was  raising  np  a  dark-colored  mortal  who  was 
groveling  in  the  dust,  and  was  rising,  yet  reluctant. 

In  a  lovely  and  deeply-shaded  bower  was  a  group  of 
white  statuary,  with  the  dark-green  foliage  for  a  back- 
ground. It  represented  a  female  lying  on  a  bed,  and 
dying.  She  was  old,  and  ragged,  and  haggard ;  all  the 
surroundings  denoted  destitution  and  want.  Her  clothes 
were  tattered,  her  hair  dissheveled,  and  her  countenance 
showed  much  bodily  suffering,  yet  it  had  a  lofty  and  ele- 
vated expression,  as  if  her  mind  was  rising  above,  and  was 
unconscious  of  her  suffering.  By  her  side  stood  a  female 
holding  one  of  her  hands,  and  pointing  upward  with  a 
look  of  hope  and  love  that  was  inexpressibly  touching. 

This  I  learned  was  the  residence  of  that  spirit  whose 
head  alone  I  saw  ;  now  I  was  able  to  see  its  whole  form  ; 
it  was  that  of  a  female,  and  was  so  light  and  ethereal  that 
it  was  transparent. 

I  returned  back  from  this  scene,  and  approached  again 
the  spirit  with  the  silver  light,  and  there  I  saw  its  home  ; 
it  was  like  a  Saracenic  temple,  and  was  enveloped  in  a 
mingled  light  of  silver  hue  and  pure  blue.  It  had  points 
to  its  several  gables,  but  its  arches  were  circular,  and  there 
were  small  pinnacled  towers  at  each  corner.  In  the  rear 
of  the  building  was  a  battlemented  tower,  from  which 
floated  to  the  breeze  the  ample  folds  of  a  white  flag,  hav- 
ing on  it  a  red  cross. 


SPIEITTTALISM.  261 


Thursday,  Oct.  20th,  1853. 

The  circle  met  this  evening.  There  was  no  manifestation  through 
Dr.  Dexter,  and  through  Mrs.  Sweet  there  was  a  brief  one,  which  was 
of  moment  only  as  it  foreshadowed  her  development. 

Almost  as  soon  as  we  got  seated,  I  began  to  feel  the  in- 
fluence, and  saw  the  spirits  that  surrounded  the  circle. 
After  a  while  the  cordon  of  spirits  opened  at  one  spot  and 
showed  me  in  the  distance  a  great  number  of  them,  who 
were  attracted  to  us,  some  by  curiosity,  some  to  learn,  and. 
some  to  communicate  and  teach. 

I  was  soon  taken  up  that  opening  and  passed  away  some 
distance,  until  I  seemed  very  small.  Here  I  was  required 
to  stop  and  look  back  on  the  world  I  had  left,  and  behold 
how  insignificant  were  its  joys  compared  with  those  of  my 
spirit-companions !  how  dark  and  gloomy  its  life  compared 
with  the  light  and  happiness  which  surrounded  them !  and 
it  was  said  to  me,  "  Think  not  then  of  man's  unkindness, 
but  be  thankful  that  you  have  admittance  to  a  w^orld  where 
your  purposes  can  be  understood,  the  good  you  aim  at  be 
appreciated,  and  any  sacrifices  you  may  be  required  to 
make,  will  meet  their  reward." 

It  was  a  bright  and  beautiful  spirit  who  said  this  to  me. 
His  garb  was  a  beautiful  crimson  gown,  long,  loose^  and 
loating.  It  had  a  belt,  cuifs,  collar,  and  hems  of  embroid- 
ered gold-work,  and  over  it  all  was  a  thin,  gossamer-like 
garment,  as  if  it  was  an  atmosphere  of  a  pale-blue  color, 
which  was  transparent  and  ever  moving  like  living  flame. 
He  had  long,  gray  hair,  falling  in  curls  to  his  shoulders. 
His  countenance  was  very  intellectual  and  evinced  great 


262  SPIKITIJALISM. 

firmness,  as  if  he  could  stand  unmoved  amid  a  conflict  of 
worlds. 

His  affectionate  manner  toward  me  was  very  touching. 
It  was  like  a  mother  drawing  close  up  to  her  her  child  to 
protect  it  from  harm.  He  was  surrounded  by  many  bright 
spirits,  who  regarded  him  with  great  reverence.  He  was 
a  very  benevolent  man.  I  had  never  seen  him  before,  and 
was  impressed  that  it  was  Washington. 

He  said  to  me,  "  'Tis  for  man's  emancipation  you  strive, 
and  it  will  be  attained ;  in  the  knowledge  that  it  has  been 
attained,  and  in  some  degree  by  your  instrumentality,  you 
will  find  your  reward ;  and  when  hereafter  the  incense  of 
the  grateful  hearts  of  millions  of  redeemed  spirits  shall 
ascend  before  you,  you  will  appreciate  what  my  joy  is 
in  being  hailed  by  an  immense  nation  of  freemen  as  the 
Father  of  His  Country." 

He  said,  *'  Though  it  is  long  since  I  spoke  to  you,  I  have 
been  often  with  you,  and  have  not  been  unmindful  of  your 
progress  or  your  action.  And,  oh  !  heed  not  the  hostility 
of  weak  or  wicked  men ;  for  as  the  freedom  of  our  coun- 
try was  achieved  through  many  difficulties  and  many  dark 
and  gloomy  trials,  so  through  similar  discomfitures  will 
this  work  be  completed,  in  the  redemption  of  our  country 
from  the  thralldom  of  the  bigotry  and  superstition  which 
the  darkened  ages  of  the  past  have  transmitted  to  the 
present  as  its  inheritance.  Then  fear  not,  falter  not,  but 
onward !  Be  calm,  be  dispassionate,  be  firm,  and  rely 
upon  it,  that  the  sun  of  righteousness,  while  it  will  quicken 
into  life  the  seeds  of  truth  which  you  may  sow  while  liv- 
ing, will  brighten  with  verdure  the  grave  where  you'll 
sleep." 

While  this  was  said  to  me,  I  seemed  to  be  at  such  a 
distance  from  the  earth  that  it  seemed  to  be  a  partly  lu- 
minous ball  of  two  or  three  miles  in  diameter. 

By  the  side  of  this  spirit  I  saw  those  of  La  Fayette  and 
Tecumseh. 

I  returned  slowly  to  earth  through  the  dense  ranks  of 


SPIRITUALISM.  263 

spirits  who  lined  my  path  on  both  sides.  -They  gave  me, 
as  I  passed,  many  smiles  of  cheering  encouragement. 
Among  them  I  recognized  many  acquaintances.  One  was 
my  mother,  who  blessed  me  as  I  paused  before  her,  and 
reminded  me  of  her  dying  moments,  that  she  had  said  to 
me,  as  I  sat  by  her  side,  *' John,  I  am  dying,"  and  I  had 
answered,  "Yes,  mother,  you  are  going  to  reap  the  reward 
of  a  life  well  spent." 

I  then  returned  to  the  circle. 


Thursday^  Oct.  27 th,  1853. 

The  circle  met  this  evening  at  my  library.  There  were  three  persons 
present  as  visitors. 

Through  the  Doctor's  hand  it  was  written : 

We  wish  to  try  an  experiment,  that  is,  to  impress  both 
you  and  Mrs.  Sweet  together,  and  to  teach  by  a  dialogue. 

Bacon. 

The  spirits  will  be  Yoltaire  by  Mrs.  S.  and  Cardinal 
"Woolsey  by  the  Judge. 

After  a  little  while — 

Yoltaire  said :  What  a  vast  revolution  has  taken  place 
in  the  opinions  of  men  since  I  was  a  resident  of  earth  ! 

Woolsey. — Yes,  the  infidelity  with  which  you  were 
charged  while  here  has  since  then  grown  immensely  among 
men.  It  is  not  now  so  pretentious  as  it  was  then,  but  it  is 
deeper  and  wider  spread,  and,  unless  arrested,  will  sink 
mankind  into  deeper  materialism  than  has  been  known  for 
ages. 

YoLTAiKE. — Infidelity  to  what  and  to  whom  ?  to  the  law 


264:  SPIRITUALISM. 

of  man  or  of  God  ?  Dost  thou  pretend  to  censure  the  in- 
fidelity of  mj  soul  which  could  not  bow  to  the  narrow 
creeds  and  sectarian  prejudices  of  the  minds  around  me? 
Dost  thou  say  I  was  an  infidel,  because  1  dared  to  speak 
the  immortal  truth  which  beamed  in  upon  my  soul,  dark- 
ened as  it  was  with  gross  materiality?  But  still  it  was 
immortal  truth,  and  possessed  the  very  essence  of  the  God- 
like divinity.  My  soul  required  a  larger,  a  more  extended 
plane  of  thought,  a  more  unbounded  field  of  knowledge 
than  the  teaching  of  man  could  supply.  Yea,  my  darkened 
soul  hungered  for  light. 

WooLSEY. — I  spoke  of  the  infidelity  with  which  you  were 
cha/rged,  and,  alas !  you  know  the  charge  yet  lives  in  many 
minds.  But  I  meant  not  to  censure,  but  only  to  lament ; 
for  with  minds  like  yours,  such  unbelief  as  yours  in  the 
teachings  of  the  d^,  material  as  they  were,  and  of  man's 
invention,  might  work  no  injury ;  but  the  same  cause 
which  operated  on  your  mind  operated  on  others  too  weak 
and  feeble  to  see  the  great  results  at  which  you  arrived. 
And  while  with  you  infidelity  may  have  been  but  a  disbe- 
lief in  the  dogmas  of  man,  in  others  it  was  a  disbelief  in 
the  existence  of  a  God  and  the  eternal  existence  of  man ; 
and  it  is  that  which  has  spread  with  such  alarming  preva- 
lence throughout  the  world,  that  a  vast  majority  of  the 
civilized  part  of  it,  disgusted  with  the  teachings  which  you 
repelled,  have  learned  to  doubt  that  there  was  any  exist- 
ence for  man  but  on  this  earth.  And  these  dogmas  have, 
day  by  day,  been  sinking  man  deeper  and  deeper  into  the 
love  of  this  world  alone,  and  hence  have  been  engendered 
selfishness  and  strife  among  men,  until  they  are,  indeed, 
unlike  what  they  were  designed  to  be  by  their  great  Cre- 
ator. The  cause — the  cause  of  this  is  the  great  inquiry  ?  for 
when  that  shall  be  ascertained,  the  remedy  will  be  compara- 
tively easy.    "What  say  you — for  you  know — is  that  cause  ? 

YoLTAiKE. — My  opinions,  as  given  to  the  world  during 
my  lifetime,  are,  indeed,  tinctured  with  a  spirit  of  bitter- 
ness and  controversy ;  but,  while  giving  those  opinions. 


SPIRITUALISM.  265 

please  to  remember,  that  mv  mind  was  tortured,  as  it 
were,  by  an  internal  warfare.  I  looked  npon  mankind  as 
being  beneath  me  in  intellect  and  discernment.  I  looked 
upon  them  as  puppets  who  might  be  led  by  any  strong 
mind  that  might  please  to  control  them,  and  the  spirit  of 
combativeness  was  aroused  within  me  that  such  elements 
should  exist  in  the  mind  of  man,  and  he  still  be  called  an 
immortal  being.  What !  such  man  a  part  of  the  divinity 
destined  to  exist  forever?  and  yet  how  puny  he  seemed 
when  compared  with  the  great  First  Cause  from  which  he 
pretended  to  have  sprung  ! 

I  grant,  my  opinions  may  have  done  some  injury  in  some 
cases,  but  I  am  convinced  they  did  much  more  good.  They 
aroused  the  souls  of  many  men  from  their  cringing,  low 
position.  They  broke  the  trammels  and  let  loose  upon  the 
wing  of  thought  many  an  aspiring  soul.  But  my  soul  in 
its  range  became  lost  also.  Instead  of  making  the  nice 
distinction  which  I  might  have  done  if  the  spirit  part  of 
my  nature  had  been  developed  as  well  as  the  material,  I 
mixed  them  indiscriminately,  and  thus  lost  sight  of  the 
object  I  had  in  view,  and  thought  in  my  battle  with  the 
world  that  there  was  no  hereafter,  while  I  wished  only 
to  be  convinced  that  there  surely  was.  But  the  spirit  in 
which  I  pursued  my  researches  sent  me  back  empty  hand 
ed  and  more  strongly  girded  about  with  the  infidelity  of 
which  you  speak.  And  my  life  was  spent,  not  so  much  in 
striving  to  defeat  the  good  which  might  be  done  by  the 
Christian  religion,  as  in  battling  their  foolish  opinions  and 
blind  credulity.  Even  I,  with  all  my  infidelity,  could, 
upon  the  basis  of  my  belief,  mount  far  above  them,  ay, 
beyond  their  very  vision,  and  see  the  glorious  world  re- 
vealed in  the  face  of  nature,  and  the  wonderful  revolutions 
of  the  earth.  And  I  could  be  filled  with  a  sense  of  awe 
and  a  feeling  of  unbounded  liberty  which  they  never  ex- 
perienced in  their  dark  and  cringing  position. 

I  confess  I  do  not  regret  the  spread  of  my  works,  for  I 
see  far  greater  causes  of  evil,  and  baleful  eflPects  flowing 


^66  SPIEITTJALISM. 

from  those  causes,  had  there  been  no  opposing  principles 
to  work  in  the  great  mass  of  mankind.  They  would  not 
all  bow.  They  would  not  all  be  slaves,  and  if  that  which 
I  advocated  gave  them  one  exalted  thought  and  enabled 
them  to  penetrate  into  the  realms  of  knowledge,  did  it  not 
open  their  eyes  to  see  their  true  position  ?  'No,  I  do  not 
regret  to  see  ray  teachings,  but  I  do  regret  that  I  lived  so 
long  on  earth  and  became  so  little  aware  of  what  I  might 
kave  been,  of  what  I  might  have  done,  if  I  had  been 
blessed  with  the  light  of  Spiritualism,  which  has  now 
dawned  on  the  mind  of  man. 

Unbelieving  and  uncertain  I  entered  the  spirit-world, 
repelling  with  my  very  presence  every  approach  of  light 
which  might  have  shone  on  my  darkened  vision.  It  was 
the  material  part  of  my  nature  which  was  developed  on 
earth.  My  spirit  part  was  lost  in  my  wanderings  for  light. 
It  was  shut  up  in  the  material  part  as  in  an  iron  cage. 
Defiant  and  proud  I  entered  the  spirit- world,  not  knowing, 
not  caring  to  know,  the  hereafter  I  had  so  strenuously 
fought  against  while  in  the  body.  But  let  me  make  this 
confession.  There  was  ever  in  my  soul  a  still,  small  voice 
which  would  come  from  its  deepest  recesses  and  would 
pierce  away  beyond  the  bounds  of  space  and  ask  for  light, 
and  return  dissatisfied  and  weary.  It  was  a  constant  striv- 
ing of  the  desire  to  know  and  the  determination  not  to  know. 
So  my  entrance  there  could  not  have  been  gladsome.  Had 
not  the  opinions  which  I  had  spent  my  whole  intellect  and 
energies  in  propagating  all  come  to  naught  as  regards 
man's  immortality?  And  I  plainly  saw  if  the  soul  was 
immortal  there  must  be  a  God,  an  immortal  spirit,  who 
ruled  this  vast  and  illimitable  space  which  surrounded  me. 

How  I  traveled — incessantly  traveled — and  .  strove  to 
convince  myself  that  it  was  still  a  material  world  I  lived 
on !  How  my  spirit  wrestled  with  the  truth  which  was 
crushing  me  with  such  force !  and  I  could  not  realize  my- 
self as  a  spirit,  that  I  had  left  my  mortal  abode.  There 
was  none  with  whom  I  could  claim  companionship,  for 


SPTEITUALI8M.  267 

had  I  not  denied  every  one  of  them's  being  immortal? 
There  was  no  resting-place  for  me.  I  was  ever  restless, 
ever  wandering  and  unsatisfied.  My  soul  was  dark  and 
bitter  within  me,  and  I  was  as  a  maniac  without  power  to 
work  out  any  design  my  mind  might  plan. 

I  say  I  entered  the  portals  of  the  spirit-world  proud  and 
defiant.  I  was  led  away  from  the  habitations  of  spirits 
and  was  taken  into  mighty  space.  I  was  permitted  to  gaze 
on  the  wonderful  works  of  the  spirits'  abodes.  To  me  they 
seemed  indeed  wonderful,  and  I  was  carried  about  with 
resistless  force,  and  made  to  gaze  until  my  soul  became  so 
filled  with  the  sense  of  the  magnificence  and  power  which 
controlled  these  mighty  wonders,  that  I  fain  would  have 
hid  myself  away  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks,  but  I  could  not 
do  so.  I  yearned  for  companionship  and  longed  to  tell 
some  one  how  I  had  been  misled,  not  by  others,  but  by  my 
own  wild  imaginings.  I  began  to  realize  how  insignificant 
I  was  in  that  great  world  of  immortal  spirits,  and,  finally, 
having 'become  so  weary,  so  humiliated,  my  proud  spirit 
thoroughly  humbled,  I  was  allowed  to  associate  with  some 
of  the  inhabitants.  And  now  I  began  to  realize  the  posi- 
tion I  had  occupied  on  earth,  and  to  see  that  which  I  should 
occupy  in  the  spirit- world.  And  it  was  not  a  pleasant  one, 
my  friend. 

A  complete  revolution,  an  entire  change  in  my  spirit- 
organization,  took  place,  and  I  became  a  delighted  learner. 
My  ideas  being  already  expansive,  how  I  progressed  !  My 
soul  felt  the  warm  and  glowing  love  of  God  to  light  it  up, 
to  help  its  immortal  graspings,  and  rapidly  I  became  as- 
sociated with  the  great  and  the  good  and  the  developed  in 
wisdom  in  the  spirit-world.  I  saw  how  great  had  been  my 
mistake,  and  I  felt  how  great  must  be  the  reparation  which 
I  must  make  to  atone  for  all  which  I  have  said  or  done  or 
lived,  which  would  lead  men's  minds  away  from  the  right 
path.  Glorious  with  the  light  of  celestial  wisdom  and 
beauty  are  the  lessons  which  I  have  learned,  and  far  be- 
yond all  my  soul  could  ever  have  conceived  in  this  world 


SPIRITUALISM. 

has  been  the  unfolding  of  the  boundless  storehouse  of  wis- 
dom and  knowledge. 

I  have  lived  to  look  upon  my  earthly  existence  as  a 
bitter  warfare  with  the  world  and  with  my  own  spirit- 
nature.  I  have  deeply  regretted  the  opinions  which  I  ad- 
vocated, which  were  the  means  of  leading  any  astray,  but 
I  also  feel  deeply  and  fervently  grateful  to  the  all-wise 
Creator  that  I  was  made  an  instrument  even  of  controversy 
in  the  Christian  world,  that  thus  men's  minds  might  be 
opened  to  a  sjDirit  of  inquiry  and  progression. 

The  effects  have  not  been  so  bad  as  the  world  believed 
them  to  be,  but  the  causes  which  led  to  the  many  conten- 
tions and  discussions  will  still  exist  until  man's  spirit  has 
worked  him  out  of  the  thralldom  of  blind  opinion  and 
blinder  prejudice  and  unprogressive  religion.  The  cause 
of  Christianity  must  become  infidel  to  its  present  opinions 
before  the  world  can  arrive  at  that  state  of  free  and  en- 
lightened wisdom  which  shall  make  every  man  a  law  unto 
himself. 

"WooLSEY. — I  wonder  not  at  your  contempt  of  mankind 
as  they  were  when  you  lived  on  earth,  for  they  and  their 
mental  condition  were  the  legitimate  product  of  more  than 
a  thousand  years  of  religious  domination,  and  the  extreme 
to  which  you  were  led,  though  not  unnatural,  was  to  be 
lamented,  and  it  is  that  extreme  which  now  so  widely  per- 
vades the  whole  civilized  world. 

But  the  cause  of  it  lies  deeper  than  you  have  mentioned. 
I  saw  it  among  the  religionists  with  whom  I  associated  ; 
I  saw  it  in  the  cloister  and  in  the  desk,  and  most  among 
those  whose  minds  were  most  enlarged  by  education  and 
culture.  It  was  this.  The  dogmas  taught  as  religion  were 
at  war  with  the  aspirations  of  our  own  souls,  and  with  the 
workings  of  the  laws  of  God  as  we  saw  them  all  around 
us.  If  we  sent  a  searching  thought  deep  into  the  recesses 
of  our  own  souls,  we  found  there — innate  and  existent — 
what  shall  I  call  it?  an  aspiration,  a  belief,  an  instinctive 
feeling  as  it  were,  at  war  with  that  which  we  were  taught 


,  SPIRITUALISM. 

as  religion.  If  we  sent  our  minds  abroad,  searching 
through  the  external  universe,  it  returned  to  us  laden  with 
the  conviction,  that  the  operations  and  the  laws  of  the 
Great  First  Cause  were  equally  in  conflict  with  it.  And 
in  proportion  as  we  were  able  to  make  this  internal  or  ex- 
ternal search,  as  the  mind  by  culture-  increased  in  the 
capacity  to  examine  itself  and  the  laws  of  nature,  and  to 
understand  them,  we  recognized,  w^e  felt  the  overpowering 
influence  of  the  teachings  thence  derived,  that  the  religion 
taught  us  could  not,  in  many  respects,  be  true.  However 
earnestly  we  might  have  tried  to  believe,  however  obsti- 
nately we  might  have  resolved  that  we  would  believe, 
however  successful  we  might  have  thought  ourselves  in 
deceiving  ourselves  into  the  idea  that  we  did  believe,  there 
was  still  lingering  down  deep  in  the  inmost  recesses  of  our 
souls  the  conviction  that  it  was  not  so. 

While  that  was  the  condition  of  the  cultivated  and  the 
educated  in  your  day  and  mine,  so  now  it  is  the  condition 
of  vastly  greater  numbers,  because  now  knowledge  is  more 
generally  diff'used  among  men,  and  with  that  knowledge 
has  come  now,  as  it  came  then,  the  extreme  into  which  you 
fell — the  denial  of  a  God  and  a  future  existence  for  man. 
How  welcome  to  us  would  have  been  the  revelations  now 
making  to  man!  How  welcome  ought  it  now  to  be  to 
man,  for  it  guards  him  against  that  extreme,  lifts  him  from 
the  deep  degradation  of  such  unbelief,  raises  him  from  the 
mire  of  a  material  existence  only,  and  opens  to  him  a  knowl- 
edge which  will  make  indeed  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth :  a  new  heaven,  because  spirits  fitted  for  it  will 
enter  there — a  new  earth,  because  man,  while  upon  it,  will 
learn  and  execute  the  great  purpose  of  his  existence  there. 
With  that  knowledge,  his  existence  there  will  not  be  as  it 
was  with  us,  in  vain  in  reference  to  the  future. 

It  is  indeed  a  happy  day  for  mankind  that  is  now 
dawning  upon  them,  for  they  will  be  taught  to  feel  and 
will  feel,  as  you  now  do,  the  law  of  love,  which  has,  to  be 
sure,  been  often  on  the  lips,  but  has  found  the  heart  too 


270  SPIKITUALISM. 

closely  surrounded  by  materialism  to  be  able  to  penetrate 
it.  That  barrier  is  now  being  destroyed.  The  great  law 
of  love  will  enter  there,  and  will  show  itself  forth  in 
greater  regard  for  the  happiness  of  each  other,  in  the  sup- 
pression of  that  selfishness  which  has  so  long  cast  its  dark 
pall  over  man's  life  on  earth,  and  will  teach  men,  by  the 
best  of  all  possible  lessons,  that  of  experience,  to  know 
how  much  he  will  add  to  his  happiness  even  on  earth,  as 
well  as  his  happiness  hereafter.  It  will  be  no  longer  to 
him  a  mere  sentiment  written  on  the  sand  of  the  sea-shore, 
to  be  obliterated  by  the  first  wave  which  the  storm  of 
human  passion  may  excite,  but  will  be  written  on  the 
heart  in  letters  of  fire,  and  will  be  indelible,  because  writ- 
ten with  the  finger  of  an  Almighty  hand. 

We  see  this — we,  who  have  lived  on  earth  when  it  was 
darker  and  more  selfish  than  now,  because  more  ignorant 
of  the  high  purposes  of  our  creation ;  but  the  years  that 
have  rolled  on  have  brought  to  us  the  knowledge  that  this 
is  indeed  a  great  reality — that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  we 
are  destined  to  live  with  him  forever. 

Oh !  how  our  hearts  have  yearned  to  teach  mankind  the 
lesson,  the  want  of  which  we  so  deeply  felt — the  absence 
of  which  made  our  entrance  here  so  sad,  and  left  its  im- 
press for  eternity,  because  it  arrested  the  progress  which  is 
our  destiny !  How  our  hearts  have  yearned  to  open  to 
them  the  reality  of  the  holy  communion  of  spirits,  for  we 
know  that  thus  they  too  shall  be  elevated  to  a  nearer  ap- 
proach to  us,  and  through  us  to  a  nearer  approach  to  their 
Creator !  How  our  hearts  now  yearn  to  enable  them  to 
see  the  light  which  is  now  pouring  in  such  glorious  floods 
upon  the  world,  to  dispel  the  darkness  which  has  so  long 
brooded  o'er  the  minds  of  men,  and  to  light  them  to  a 
way  to  a  life  eternal  in  its  duration  and  its  happiness. 

After  these  teachings  were  given,  and  a  part  of  them  read  overj  we 
conversed  upon  them  for  a  few  moments,  when  it  was  written : 

How  beautifully  a  thought  which  is  founded  on  truth 


SPIRITUALISM.  271 

impresses  the  mind  prepared  to  receive  it !  This  is  so,  not 
only  in  regard  to  sentiments  of  the  mind,  but  also  in  refer- 
ence to  all  the  revealed  works  of  God,  when  the  principle 
on  which  they  are  based  is  understood  and  appreciated. 
The  whole  universe  of  God  teems  with  the  beauty  of  divine 
thought,  and  the  radiance  of  this  celestial  beauty  is  per- 
ceived when  the  spirit  of  man  is  in  harmony  with  the 
Great  First  Cause.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  you^ 
admire  thoughts  which  are  the  revelation  of  the  inner  sen- 
timents of  the  spirits  who  once  were  as  you  are,  living  and 
acting  in  your  world.  Were  your  minds  opposed  to  the 
truths  they  teach,  how  dark  and  gloomy  would  be  the 
ideas  they  inculcate,  how  distasteful !  The  great  principles 
of  love  would  become  the  cause  of  discord  and  opposition. 
But  the  truth  which  opens  the  mind  to  feel,  to  see,  to 
know,  enlarges  your  view  and  brings  you  at  once  into  a 
divine  existence.  But  it  is  not  only  in  the  happiness  you 
derive  from  a  correspondence  with  our  views  that  you  are 
to  base  your  life  while  in  life.  It  is  not  only  from  the 
glow  of  honest  joy  that  you  are  to  learn  what  there  is  for 
you  to  do.  You  are  not  to  be  confined  to  thought  alone, 
or  the  thoughts  of  other  men  and  spirits.  You  are  to  de- 
velop your  own  happiness  in  yourself,  in  the  progress 
which  your  spirit  makes  in  sending  its  search  through  all 
creation,  material  and  immaterial.  If  you  can  judge  of 
God  by  his  works,  and  learn  that  he  is  a  Spirit  full  of  love 
and  mercy,  and  that  you  partake  of  the  glorious  attributes 
of  his  Spirit,  how  much  does  it  behoove  you  to  act  as  well 
as  think — act  in  relation  to -what  you  Tinow  is  your  duty. 
The  flower  tinted  with  the  variegated  colors  which  adorn 
it  with  beauty,  may  attract  the  eye  and  may  grace  a  gar- 
den, but  the  humble  shrub,  from  which  we  extract  those 
agents  which  conduce  to  the  good  of  man,  though  it  may 
hide  itself  in  the  deep  shade  of  some  forest,  is  sought  for 
and  prized  as  an  instrument  for  good  indeed.  It  is  prized, 
not  for  its  beauty,  but  for  the  innate  virtues  it  possesses. 
Your  relation  with  this  world  must  bring  you  in  daily 


272  SPIRITUALISM. 

contact  with  those  for  whom  you  may  work  for  good.  You 
may  develop  in  the  humblest  mind  those  instrumentalities 
which  shall  add  to  your  own  happiness  as  well  as  the  eter- 
nal interests  of  itself. 

While  therefore  you  admire,  feel — feel  that  your  part 
is  to  act,  to  work,  to  live  an  example  of  what  you  profess, 
and  thus  to  excite  the  earnest  inquiry  of  all  men — Are 
these  things  indeed  true  ?  Sweedenbokg. 


tttian  Cfotntg-nine, 


Friday,  Oct.  28th,  1853. 

This  evening  the  Bishop  of  ,  and  Doctor ,  of  Kentucky, 

were  in  my  library,  with  the  Doctor  and  myself.  The  Bishop  was  in- 
vestigating, and  avowed  himself  a  believer  in  spiritual  intercourse' ;  but 
he  betrayed  an  ignorance  of  the  nature  of  spirit  and  the  life  after  death, 
that  showed  he  had  thought  little  on  the  subject,  and  that  was  marvel- 
ous to  me  in  a  high  dignitary  of  the  Church.  After  they  had  gone,  Lord 
Bacon  wrote : 

I  WAS  somewhat  inclined  to  answer  the  Bishop  cava- 
lierly when  he  asked  me  to  write  the  Apostles'  Creed  in 
Latin.  I  have  forgot  both  the  apostles  and  the  creed  long 
ago,  and  hope  I  shall  not  again  be  subjected  to  the  indig- 
nity of  learning  it.  But,  Judge,  how  little  the  secrets  of 
the  priesthood  are  understood,  and  how  little  their  avoca- 
tion is  understood !  How  powerful  a  hold  have  they  on 
the  minds  of  the  world,  and  how  little  good  really  have 
they  accomplished ! 

They  claim  that  they  are  the  advanced  guard  of  civil- 
ization, and  that  they  have  hung  out  the  banner  of  truth 
on  the  outer  wall  of  human  progress.     Alas !  for  human 


SPIRITITALISM.  273 

nature,  which  has  suffered  them  to  triumphantly  dictate  to 
its  ignorance  what  their  reason  feared  to  investigate  I 
Alas !  for  the  world  which  would  submit  to  the  dictation 
of  men,  who,  proclaiming  that  they  understand  the  laws 
of  God,  are  inculcating  the  errors  of  their  creed  or  sect. 

Priests  of  God  ?  Holy  men  ?  They  are  but  the  drones 
of  society — the  very  worms  of  life  which  prey  on  the  finest 
feelings  of  man's  nature — the  instincts  of  his  soul.  They 
priests  ?  Yes,  the  priests  of  ignorance — the  very  barriers 
of  progressive  inquiry ;  for  they  trammel  thought,  confine 
reason,  and  send  the  mis-born  soul  into  the  spirit-world 
without  the  least  knowledge  of  his  destiny. 

Look  abroad  over  the  world,  and  ask  yourselves  who  is 
it  that  has  accomplished  all  that  has  stimulated  man  to 
search,  investigate,  and  seek  out  from  nature  the  secrets 
which  advance  his  mind  and  give  to  his  soul  the  first  gleam 
of  hope  everlasting?  Has  it  been  the  priesthood  ?  Has  it 
been  the  ministers  of  God?  l^o ;  for  they  have  tortured 
the  chosen  spirits  of  any  age  when  they  have  differed  from 
them  in  form  or  tenet.  They  have  barred  up  all  outlets 
of  human  enterprise  and  knowledge,  unless  it  conformed 
to  their  dictum.  They  have  sent  their  hirelings  into  every 
household,  and  have  bound  on  the  rack  the  good  and  true, 
the  aged  and  young,  when  they  have  differed  one  iota  from 
the  severe  laws  they  have  laid  down  for  the  rule  of  man. 
ISTot  content  with  driving  man  to  despair  in  life,  they  have 
sent  his  spirit  howling  into  the  spheres,  with  their  anathe- 
mas following  him  like  an  accursed  spirit  when  he  reached 
there.  They  pretend  to  minister  to  a  mind  diseased,  but 
they  have  made  the  death-bed  a  dice-box,  by  which  the 
everlasting  happiness  of  some  good  man  was  cast  on  the 
hazard  of  their  approval.  Alas  !  for  the  priesthood  !  Alas ! 
when  they  pretend  to  teach  man  the  destiny  of  his  soul ! 

But  look  again,   and  ask  yourselves,  what  have   they 

done  ?     They  have  taken  one  book,  called  the  Bible,  and 

from  this  they  have  fashioned  laws  which  limit  all  inquiry 

beyond  this  source.     They  pretend  to  assist  all  efforts  for 

.18  ' 


274  SPIRITUALISM. 

the  good  of  man,  but  they  confine  that  effort  to  the  nar- 
row circle  of  their  creeds.  Yes,  they  have  sent  their  mis- 
sionaries into  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  have  proclaimed 
a  Saviour  to  all  men,  but  they  have  taken  care  to  have  it 
well  understood  that  no  man  can  be  saved  unless  he  joins 
their  particular  church.  Have  they  given  to  man  the  pre- 
rogatives of  his  nature  ?  Have  they  opened  to  him  the  op- 
portunities of  free  inquiry  ?  'No.  They  have  established 
a  religion,  and  have  so  connected  the  laws,  civil  and  po- 
litical, with  it,  that  they  have  forced  nations  of  men  to 
contribute  to  its  support,  and  have  amassed,  from  the  hard 
earnings  of  the  poor,  vast  sums  of  money,  which  has  added 
to  their  power  and  increased  their  ability  to  do  evil. 

Have  they  adhered  to  the  very  doctrines  they  profess  to 
believe  ?  ISTo.  They  have  cast  out  the  good  man  for  his 
independence,  and  they\have  crucified  a  thousand  times 
again  the  Saviour,  for  they  have  made  his  mercy  and  love 
a  mere  mockery.  Have  they  given  one  true  idea  of  God  ? 
ISTo.  They  have  made  him  play  a  farce  in  the  face  of  his 
whole  creation,  and  they  have  made  him — the  Great  First 
Cause — deny  his  own  nature.  Alas  !  alas  !  they  are  in- 
deed priests,  but  the  priests  of  unrighteousness.  Yerily,  I 
say,  they  are  the  banes  of  society,  and  in  good  time  they 
will  be  found  out,  and  then  for  judgment ! 


SPIKITUALISM.  275 


ution  Cljirtg 


Sunday^  Oct.  SOth,  1853. 
The  circle  met  in  my  library.     Through  Dr.  Dexter,  it  was  written  : 

Kow  before  we  begin  on  our  proper  subject,  permit  me, 
my  friends,  to  make  a  few  remarks  applicable  to  all  medi- 
ums. Placed  before  the  world  as  they  are,  it  becomes  im- 
portant that  their  minds  and  action  should  correspond  with 
the  great  principles  they  profess  to  believe  ;  not  only  that 
they  may  impress  the  world  with  the  truth  of  their  belief, 
but  that  they  may  be  able  to  convince  themselves  that  the 
germ  of  action  is  that  of  truth  itself.  It  is  sometimes  more 
difficult  to  convince  ourselves  that  we  are  wrong  than  to 
assure  the  world  that  we  are  indeed  believers  in  any  doc- 
trine we  profess.  And  it  is  not  only  this  public  demon- 
stration that  mediums  ought  to  make,  but  they  must  bring 
their  hearts  up  to  judgment,  analyze  the  feelings  of  their 
souls,  and  find  out  if  indeed  they  are  predicated  on  the 
truth. 

It  is  sometimes  the  case  that  when  the  mind  is  impress- 
ed with  the  truth  of  a  new  idea,  it  gives  its  thoughts  free 
license,  and  acts  on  other  principles  than  the  new  idea 
would  justify.  And  much  license  may  have  been  given  to 
thought  when  you  consider  the  whole  of  action  founded  on 
what  has  been  called  spirit-doctrines. 

"We  have  taught  that  God  is  a  principle ;  that  he  has  es- 
tablished laws  for  the  government  of  his  creatures ;  that 
man,  under  these  laws,  becomes  either  good  or  evil  in  this 
as  well  as  the  other  world.  We  have  inculcated  virtuous 
lives,  free  thought,  and  the  desire  that  every  day  and  hour 
should  add  to  your  spiritual  and  intellectual  progress  here 


276  '  SPIEITtTALISM. 

and  in  the  spheres.  We  have  revealed  many  things,  of 
which  before  jou  were  ignorant ;  and  we  have  said  that 
your  thoughts  were%*ead  and  understood  by  us  in  reference 
to  your  moral  as  well  as  material  reflections. 

But  the  time  has  come  when  something  more  on  this 
subject  should  be  revealed,  that  all  may  know  how  they 
stand  in  relation  t6  themselves  as  well  as  others, 

Identified  as  the  mediums  are  with  the  doctrines  promul- 
gated to  the  world,  each  in  turn  will  be  called  on  to  aid 
the  spirits  in  the  great  work  which  has  just  begun.  But 
in  reference  to  their  action  with  and  for  us,  it  is  proper 
that  they  should  understand  what  is  required  of  each,  and 
what  should  be  the  moral  condition  of  their  spirits  to  ren- 
der them  able  to  execute  what  we  shall  prescribe  for  them 
to  do.  "When,  therefore,  the  spirits  have  for  a  long  time 
had  intercourse  with  man,  when  they  have  frequently  and 
intimately  visited  him,  they  begin  to  study  more  intensely 
the  inner  workings  of  his  spirit.  Thus,  then,  we  dive  down 
into  the  secret  recesses  of  his  heart,  and  bring  up  to  view 
the  very  feelings  and  sentiments  he  had  hoped  he  was  con- 
cealing even  from  himself.  Studying  before  the  general 
characteristics  of  his  nature,  they  now  investigate  all  the 
phenomena  of  his  spirit ;  they  trace  the  course  of  thought, 
of  sentiment,  of  affection — the  cause  of  every  feeling  which 
which  has  its  seat  in  the  sentient  part  of  his  being.  They 
go  further  than  this  :  they  specially  delegate  spirits  to  per- 
form this  duty,  whose  charge  it  is,  daily  and  hourly,  to 
watch  each  thought  in  its  inception  and  manifestation. 
They  regard  expression  in  the  daily  life,  and  expression 
where  the  thought  is  locked  up  within  the  heart  and  gives 
no  utterance,  except  by  those  signs  which  indicate  to  simi- 
lar thought  in  others  that  it  is  existent.  But  the  spirits 
whose  duty  it  is  thus  to  take  this  espionage  of  the  secret 
thoughts  of  men  are  high,  bright,  and  pure  spirits,  w^ho 
are  so  sublimated  that  they  can  penetrate  the  very  being, 
and  there  behold  all  the  wondrous  workings  of  the  mind. 

Say  you  that  this  is  indeed  placing  you  under  guard  and 


SPIRITUALISM.  2YT 

watch  ?  Say  you  that  this  is  indeed  prying  into  that  which 
no  one  ought  to  know  ?  But,  say  I,  you  pro/ess  to  believe 
spirits ;  you  profess  to  an  entire  change  of  feeling  in  re- 
gard to  life  and  its  duties  ;  you  profess  to  live  for  progress, 
and  to  earnestly  desire  to  shun  and  to  root  out  every  thing 
evil  and  impure  in  your  action  and  thought.  Can  you  not 
understand,  then,  that  you  are  specially  guarded  ?  that  that 
love  which  makes  you  the  especial  charge  of  holy  spirits 
is  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  you  to  overcome  evil  for 
good  by  our  aid  and  influence  ?  Can  you  not  realize  that 
it  is  for  some  great  and  noble  object  that  you  are  thus 
placed  within  the  reach  of  those  guides  who  shall  direct 
you  toward  those  glorious  spheres  where  there  shall  be  no 
evil,  and  where  you  shall  be  pure  and  holy  ? 

But  woe  to  them  who  are  the  instruments  selected,  if,  in- 
deed, they  listen  not  to  what  we  have  said — who,  in  spite 
of  all  the  means  of  progress,  choose  rather  the  evil  than 
the  good  !  Human  mind  never  pictured  to  itself  the  deg- 
radation which  will  ensue  here  on  earth,  and  the  infinite 
misery  hereafter. 

My  friends,  deep  is  the  faith  of  those  who  are  engaged 
in  this  work — their  love.  Oh !  words  fail  to  express  it. 
Their  patience  is  like  time,  ever  and  continual,  and  their 
forgiveness  beyond  that  of  parent.  You,  what  are  you 
here  for  ?  What  do  you  profess  to  believe  ?  Earnestly 
strive  with  us.  Earnestly  desire  to  know  what  you  are, 
and  earnestly  pray  that  you  may  so  understand  the  opera- 
tions of  your  own  hearts,  that  you  may  be  able  to  over- 
come evil  with  good,  and  on  earth,  as  in  the  spheres,  every 
day  advance  one  step  toward  light  and  truth. 

SWEEDENBORG. 

We  asked  a  personal  application  of  these  remarks,  and  it  was  an- 
swered : 

If  I  exhaust  much  time  on  this  subject,  it  will  be  of 
service  to  you  all.  You  ask  for  an  application  in  what  I 
have  said?     Hear  me,  then,  and  realize,  if  you  can,  that 


278  ^SPIKITUALISM. 

every  spirit  present  here  to-night  willingly  suspends  his 
labors  that  you  may  be  instructed  in  that  which  shall  ena- 
ble you  to  know  and  to  judge  how  you  are  to  act,  and  when 
you  are  to  cast  off  that  which  may  be  evil,  and  take  on  that 
which  is  good. 

The  day  is  dawning  when  the  trutli  will  gird  up  its  loins 
and  travel  with  speed  through  this  world.  You  are  its 
avant  guards;  you  are  its  companions.  In  joy  or  sorrow, 
in  prosperity  and  in  adversity,  you  must  go  on  ;  there  is 
before  you  all  much  to  do ;  the  light  is  twinkling  like  a 
star  dimly  seen.  Can  you  behold  the  glorious  beams  of 
the  noonday  sun  ?  Then  while  we  are  moved  for  you,  let 
your  hearts  drink  up  these  sayings  and  listen. 

ISTow,  in  the  very  midst  of  you,  all  the  spirits  kneel  to- 
gether, and  are  singing  ^  song  of  love  and  praise.  And 
while  I  am  writing,  there  comes  a  flood  of  radiant  light 
streaming  into  their  circle,  clothing  them  with  a  brilliance 
mortal  eye  can  not  behold.  And  a  spirit  from  the  higher 
spheres  descends  and  stands  in  their  midst,  and,  raising 
one  hand  toward  heaven,  says,  "To  me  belongs  this  les- 
son— to  me  belongs  the  explanation,  and  through  the  mouth 
of  tne  Judge  will  I  utter  it." 

I  give  way,  and  with  yourselves  I  listen,  for  from  those 
glorious  spheres  both  you  and  I  can  derive  instruction. 

SWEEDENBOEG. 
Then  I  was  impressed,  and  said  : 

Servants  of  the  Most  High !  have  ye  in  your  hearts  no 
vain  glory  ?  Lingers  not  there  the  love  of  man's  applause, 
which  so  often  taints  mortal  life?  And  are  your  labors 
prompted  only  by  a  love  of  God  and  jour  fellow-creatures? 
Is  there  not  lingering  deep  down  in  your  souls  the  remains 
of  those  passions  which  have  tinged  your  mortal  career  in 
times  past?     Speak!  for  ye  know. 

Is  there  no  self  in  your  motives,  or  in  your  actions,  in 
the  great  cause  of  truth  in  which  ye  are  enlisted?  De- 
ceive not  yourselves.  Yaunt  not  yourselves  of  the  love, 
the  admiration,  the  regards  of  bright  and  holy  spirits  ;  for 


SPIRITUALISM.  279 

little  know  ye  how  deep  is  the  grief  which  ye  may  cause 
them  by  cherishing,  still  lingering  around  your  hearts,  the 
selfish  passions  which  your  material  existence  may  have 
engendered. 

Yaunt  ye  of  your  courage  ?  What  is  it  but  that  ye  are 
not  sunk  as  low  as  some  ?  Pride  ye  yourselves  on  your 
knowledge  ?  What  is  it  but  a  fearful  addition  to  your  re- 
sponsibility over  those  who  yet  slumber  in  ignorance  ?  Re- 
gard ye  yourselves  as  teachers  ?  What  are  ye  but  infants, 
tottering  with  feeble  steps  over  the  threshold  of  knowl- 
edge ? 

Oh !  mortals !  weak  and  sinful  mortals !  Bow  your- 
selves in  the  dust  before  that  purity  which  has  selected 
you  as  its  instruments — purity  of  whose  extent  you  can 
not  conceive,  and  in  whose  presence  ye  are  dark  as  mid- 
night. Humble  yourselves  before  that  mighty  Power 
whose  servants  ye  are,  and,  looking  abroad  upon  the 
boundless  universe  which  has  been  unfolded  to  your  view, 
think  how  insignificant  ye  are.  Let  your  thoughts  roam 
o'er  the  countless  millions  of  holy  spirits  who  people  eter- 
nity, and  ask  yourselves  what  ye  are  ?  And  remember, 
that  as  you  have  been  favored  with  light  and  knowledge 
beyond  your  fellows,  so  shall  the  more  abundant  fruit 
thereof  be  demanded  of  you.  As  you  have  been  the  re- 
cipients of  that  love  which  purifies  and  elevates  the  heart, 
so  will  it  be  demanded  of  you  the  more,  that  ye  should 
show  it  forth  in  your  lives.  And  oh,  beware  !  beware,  for 
your  own  sake ;  beware,  for  the  sake  of  those  whose  love 
for  you  now  causes  them  to  tremble  for  your  future,  how 
ye  permit  an  entrance  into  your  hearts  of  a  single  unkind 
feeling ;  and  be  assured  that  every  indulgence  thereof  will 
be  but  heaping  coals  of  fire  on  your  own  heads — a  laying  up 
for  yourselves  treasures  of  sorrow  which  will  haunt  your 
footsteps  many  a  long  and  weary  hour  in  your  passage 
through  eternity. 

To  you  the  kingdom  of  heaven  has  been  opened  beyona 
any  thing  ever  yet  known  to  mortal  man.     On  you  has 


280  SPIKITUALISM. 

been  shed  a  holy  light  beyond  that  of  yonr  fellows.  On 
you  hopes  are  built — oh !  how  great,  how  fervent,  how 
cheering!  To  you  is  committed  a  task — oh!  how  infi- 
nitely important  !  And  on  yon,  consequently,  rests  a  re- 
sponsibility and  devolves  a  duty  which  naught  but  purity 
of  life  and  action  and  thought  can  enable  you  to  discharge. 

Know,  then,  yourselves.  Know,  then,  yourselves  !  Dive 
deep  down  into  the  recesses  of  your  hearts,  and  bring  up 
in  stern  review  before  your  judgments,  enlightened  as  they 
have  been  by  the  knowledge  given  you,  yonr  most  secret 
motives  and  purposes,  and  by  an  unshrinking  amputation 
cut  oif  from  yourselves  the  evil  propensities  which  retard 
your  progress  and  impair  your  usefulness. 

Do  this,  and  be  happy.  Do  this,  and  ye  will  be  able 
successfully  to  accomplish  the  great  work  before  you.  Do 
this,  and  in  the  glad  shouts  which  will  welcome  your  en- 
trance into  the  spirit-land  w^hen  /^^our  day  of  work  is  done, 
will  you  find  your  abundant  reward ;  and  as  ye  journey 
through  eternity,  the  remembrance  of  the  good  ye  have 
done  will  lighten  your  footsteps  and  cheer  ye  on  the  way 
to  that  Great  Spirit  in  whose  hands  are  all  the  corners  of 
the  earth,  and  from  whom  pours,  on  all  whom  he  has  made, 
a  never-ending  stream  of  love. 

What  matters  it  that  the  heart  is  pure  and  the  purpose 
honest,  if  there  is  not  strength  to  do  right?  What  matters 
it  that  you  profess  to  be  servants  of  God,  if  you  fear  the 
censure  of  man?  What  matters  it  that  you  rejoice  with 
exceeding  joy  at  the  revelations  made  to  you  of  the  mar- 
velous works  of  God,  if  fear  of  man  retard  an  upright 
avowal  of  them  ? 

What  matters  it  ?  I  say  much,  indeed,  does  it  matter, 
for  ye  can  not  at  once  serve  God  and  Mammon.  Ye  can 
not  at  once  be  the  recipients  of  his  wondrous  bounty,  and 
yet  worship  the  world  by  fearing  its  clamor. 

The  time  will  come  when  ye  will  hail  with  glad  shouts, 
with  hearts  overflowing  with  joy,  the  hour  wlien  ye  pro- 
claimed yourselves  to  the  world,  regardless  of  its  frowns, 


SPIRITUALISM.  281 

that  indeed  ye  are  the  chosen  servants  of  the  Most  High 
God. 

"What  fear  ye  ?  It  is  the  cause  of  God  in  which  ye  are 
engaged,  and  fear  ye  to  acknowledge  it?  Oh,  fear  not! 
Fear  not !  Fear  not  man,  fear  only  God,  and  remember 
that  he  who  denies  his  Master  may  in  his  turn  be  himself 
denied.  Buckle  on,  then,  the  whole  armor  of  God,  and 
be  well  assured  that  in  his  cause  not  a  hair  of  your  heads 
shall  be  injured.  Measure  not  this  great  work  by  the  mis- 
erable standard  of  man's  applause,  but  by  the  metewand* 
of  eternity. 

Fight !  Fight !  But  fight  first  yourselves.  Conquer 
first  yourselves.  It  is  yourselves  that  most  retard  your 
progress,  that  most  impair  your  usefulness,  that  most  im- 
pede the  development  within  you  of  powers  innate  there 
which  could  make  vou  marvelous  instruments  of  working 
God's  wonders  before  men. 

Oh  !  seek  to  know  yourselves,^eek  it  with  humble,  con- 
trite hearts.  Seek  to  bow  before  the  throne  of  the  great 
Creator  your  stubbornness,  which  prompts  you  to  resist 
even  his  will.  And  forget  not,  that  as  your  gifts  are  great, 
as  the  blessings  bestowed  on  you  are  beyond  those  of 
others,  so  is  more  demanded  of  you ;  and  that  as  the  great 
principle,  that  we  are  judged  by  our  opportunities,  exists 
everywhere  and  forever,  ye  can  not  escape  its  influence  on 
yourselves. 

Think  how  great,  how  wonderful  is  the  power  that  is 
given  you — that  of  revealing  to  man  the  immortal  life  in 
the  spheres,  the  power  to  open  to  his  knowledge  the  very 
gates  of  death,  the  power  to  penetrate  into  the  grave  and 
dispel  at  once  its  darkness  and  its  mystery — the  powxr  to 
open  to  him  a  glorious  future,  and  to  lead  him  to  it — the 
power  to  enable  him  to  shun  an  evil  future,  and  the  power 
to  lead  him  back  to  the  great  purpose  for  which  he  was 
created. 

*  The  old  Saxon  name  of  measure. 


282  SPIRITUALISM. 

Such  and  so  vast,  so  momentous  is  your  power.  Look 
upon  it.  See  its  never-ending  consequences  to  yourselves 
and  to  mankind,  and  ask  yourselves  if  it  can  be  that  in 
the  evils  and  adversities  of  this  transitory  existence  ye 
can  find  aught  that  may  justly  impair  or  impede  it? 
Ask  yourselves  this  question  now,  for  by-and-by  it  will 
ask  itself  of  ye,  and,  oh  !  beware  in  time  that  ye  be  pre- 
pared in  eternity  to  answer  it  wisely  and  well. 

"With  some  the  greatest  difficulty  is  a  pertinacious  at- 
tachment to  certain  previous  notions  which  imperfect 
knowledge  bestows.  Honesty  and  sincerity  are  by  this 
cause  shorn  of  their  power  to  advance  you  as  they  oth- 
erwise would.  Kee23  pace  with  the  knowledge  that  now 
flows  in  upon  you.  Measure  it  not  by  the  standard  of 
preconceived  opinions,  but  by  that  of  nature  in  all  her 
works.  Be  not  too  tenacious  of  your  own  opinions,  for 
that  tenacity  hems  your  hearts  around  with  a  triple  barrier 
through  which  truth  finds  it  hard  to  penetrate.  Eschew 
this,  and  believe  that  it  is  the  clean  and  untarnished  mir- 
ror alone  which  can  reflect  the  eternal  truths  of  God  in  all 
their  purity  and  brightness. 

And  now,  dear  friends  all,  could  you  see,  could  you  feel, 
oh !  could  we  in  the  slightest  degree  make  you  sensible 
of  the  deep,  the  abiding,  the  overflowing  love  which  has 
prompted  us  to  deal  out  these  admonitions  to  you  ;  could 
you  but  know  the  intense  interest  with  which  countless 
numbers  of  pure  and  happy  spirits  regard  your  progress; 
could  you  but  understand  the  immense  value  to  the  cause 
of  truth  that  your  purity  and  progress  are  ;  could  you  but 
see  how  many  thousand  hearts  are  overflowing  w^ith  love 
of  you,  you  would  know  and  appreciate  the  motives  which 
have  prompted  us  thus  to  chasten  that  we  might  purify — 
thus  to  burn  your  gold  in  the  furnace  that  it  might  be 
brightened,  and  thus  to  warn  that  we  may  draw  you  nearer 
to  ourselves  and  bind  the  stronger  the  links  that  are  to 
connect  you  with  us  to  eternity. 


SPIBIT0ALISM.  283 


S«tion  Cljirtj-fliw. 


Thursday^  Nov.  Bd^  1853. 
The  circle  met  at  my  library.     Mrs.  Sweet  being  absent  from  illness, 
it  was  written : 

It  was  proposed  that  the  Judge  should  be  impressed 
to-night,  but  as  the  teachings  on  Sunday  night  were 
changed  for  a  special  object,  it  might  be  as  well  to  con- 
tinue our  teachings  through  the  Doctor  for  a  time  on  the 
proper  matter  of  progress,  and  then  afterward  influence 
the  Judge.     If  this  is  acceptable,  we  will  do  so. 

Bacon. 

We  assented,  and  it  was  written  through  the  Doctor  : 

In  prosecuting  so  great  and  profound  a  subject  as  the 
one  on  which  we  propose  to  enter,  it  is  necessary  that  the 
medium's  mind  should  be  easily  controlled  and  directed,  as 
the  course  we  have  pursued  for  some  time  has  naturally 
diverted  his  mind,  so  that  we  may  not  be  able  to  write 
freely  and  connectedly  at  this  first  essay ;  but  as  time 
presses,  and  as  we  can  not  delay  longer,  we  must  make  the 
attempt. 

It  was  remarked  in  the  last  teaching  on  progress  that  a 
new  principle  was  developed.  This  should  be  understood 
as  taking  place  after  the  developments  just  before  men- 
tioned. 

Thus  when  in  the  space  around,  latent  with  the  con- 
stituents out  of  which  were  formed  the  atomic  particles 
from  which  the  nucleii  were  fashioned,  there  was  then  ex- 
istent a  sort  of  gaseous  body  which  by  its  motion  through 
the  atmosphere  became  ignited.     IS'ow  the  combustion  of 


284  SPIRITUALISM. 

tliis  body  developed  a  new  body,  and  also  gave  off  to  the 
surrounding  atmosphere  the  constituents  which  this  com- 
bustion evolved.  It  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  trace 
each  succeeding  step  in  the  process  of  this  progress.  It 
would  fill  many,  many  volumes.  I  can  only  give  you  the 
great  principles,  and  leave  you  to  fill  up  the  rest. 

As  the  external  part  of  these  bodies  was  burnt  out,  they 
no  longer  assumed- the  appearance  of  fire,  but  became  as  it 
were  consolidated  by  this  process.  The  external  crust 
then  became  a  dense  substance,  on  which  the  atmosphere 
produced  certain  effects,  and  which  also  by  its  very  change 
became  the  seat  of  other  changes  which  in  themselves 
developed  others.  This  law  obtains  throughout  all  nature, 
that  when  by  the  apposition  of  any  bodies  certain  effects 
are  produced,  these  effects  in  themselves  generate  a  new 
principle,  which  principle  generates  another,  and  so  on  ad 
mrfmitiim  forever. 

Thus  you  can  understand  what  I  mean.  Those  bodies 
burning  with  the  fire,  the  result  of  the  combination  of  their 
constituents  and  motion,  produced  a  new  order  of  matter  on 
their  external  part.  Here  there  was  a  new  principle,  and 
this  principle  opened  to  the  influences  of  causes  a  field  for 
new  results.  Thus  the  external  part  became  condensed, 
and  this  condensation  produced  an  entirely  different  ap- 
pearance, and  also  came  under  the  operation  of  entirely 
different  laws  from  their  former  gaseous  condition. 

Here,  then,  Ave  have  the  commencement  of  the  many  and 
varied  changes  on  the  surface  of  your  globe,  and  the 
thousand  orbs  which  roll  in  space.  How  can  mortal  con- 
ceive of  the  remarkable  phenomena  which  have  taken 
place  since  the  world  assumed  form  and  shape  !  I  can 
not  give  you  a  better  idea  of  this  process  than  to  refer  you 
to  the  ideas  advanced  in  detail  in  the  work  called,  "Ves- 
tiges of  Creation,"  for  a  minute  description  of  what  I  be- 
lieve to  have  taken  place ;  for,  as  I  have  before  remarked, 
my  teachings  are  only  the  results  of  what  I  have  learned 
here,  and  are  not  to   be  understood  as  any  thing  but  an 


SPIRITUALISM.  285 

opinion.  Leaving,  then,  the  minute  detail  of  all  the  steps 
of  progress  to  be  obtain ed^from  the  work  referred  to,  I  pass 
to  the  consideration  of  that  state  of  development  which 
took  place  when  the  earth  became  fit  for  the  habitation  of 
man. 

ISTow  turn  your  minds  back  to  that  period  when  the 
world,  after  undergoing  so  many  varied  changes  by  the 
action  of  the  intense  fires,  by  the  decomposition  of  the 
rock,  by  the  displacement  of  the  various  strata,  by  the  en- 
tire disappearance  of  the  dense  vegetation  of  a  certain  char- 
acter, and  by  the  destruction  of  continents  and  the  relative 
change  in  the  mountains,  the  disappearance  of  seas,  and 
the  appearance  of  rivers  which  flowed  where  immense  for- 
ests before  had  their  location,  and  imagine  this  whole 
earth  now  laid  out  with  mountain  and  dale,  rivers  and 
seas,  woodland  and  plain,  with  birds,  and  beasts,  and  flow- 
ers, and  shrubs,  all  declaring  the  power  of  an  Almighty 
God,  but  without  a  single  human  being  yet  existent  on  its 
broad  surface.  Imagine  a  summer  morning — the  sun  ris- 
ing and  greeting  the  carol  of  the  millions  of  winged 
songsters,  whose  joyous  song  made  vocal  these  dark 
forests,  whose  dense  shade  concealed  their  depths  from 
his  golden  rays.  Picture  to  your  mind  the  towering 
mountain  rising  in  solitude  to  the  clear,  blue  sky,  and 
gilded  with  a  golden  crown  of  radiant  light.  Follow  the 
course  of  this  broad  river,  wending  its  way  through  these 
vast  plains,  blossoming  as  a  garden  of  beautiful  flowers, 
whose  gorgeous  and  varied  tints  reflect  the  colors  of 
the  rainbow.  "Watch  its  sluggish  current  as  its  dark 
waters  slowly  course  their  way  until,  meeting  with  a 
mass  of  rock,  it  dashes  foaming  and  bubbling  through 
the  rocky  pass,  and  hurries  on  to  the  sea.  Behold  the 
whole  of  this  earth  glistening  and  sparkling  in  the  mellow 
light  of  a  summer  morning.  IS'ature  everywhere  alive — 
the  birds  giving  forth  their  carol — the  stately  horse  dash- 
ing across  the  plain  and  snufiing  the  morning  air  in  his 
headlong  course.     There,  amid  that  cluster  of  palm  trees, 


286  SPIRITUALISM. 

lying  couchant,  the  magnificent  lion,  and  near  him  sporting 
the  timid  fawn.  Yonder,  with  his  glistening  striped  skin, 
the  sleeky  tiger.  How  craftily  he  creeps  under  those  low 
bushes,  but  notices  not  the  gentle  calf  that,  bleating,  fol- 
lows its  mother !  The  trees  filled  with  fruit,  the  earth  cov- 
ered with  its  animals,  the  eternal  sea  smiling  with  the 
sparkling  light  of  this  summer  morning,  singing  out  its 
songs  of  praise  as  it  sends  its  waves  to  the  -shore,  and 
shields  in  its  bosom  the  varied  tribes  of  fishes  who  make 
its  waters  instinct  with  life.  Thus  is  now  perfected  for  man 
the  whole  creation — every  thing  ready  for  his  use,  every 
thing  prepared  for  his  sway  who  is  to  begin  an  exietenee 
here,  that  is  to  end  where  ? 

Then  it  was  written  that  the  spirits  would  impress  me,  which  they 
did  as  follows,  purporting  to  be  by  the  Druidess  : 

VISION. 

I  had  a  view  of  a  tall,  rough,  unhewn  rock,  like  a 
column,  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  circle  of  similar  rocks 
not  so  high,  very  massive  and  rough.  They  stood  on  a 
knoll  looking  off  upon  the  sea  and  the  rising  sun.  There 
were  rough,  unhewn  rafters  reaching  from  the  tall  shaft  to 
the  lower  ones.  The  space  between  them  was  filled  with 
withes  woven  together,  and  that  was  covered  with  a  kind 
of  long  grass  fastened  down  by  willow  bands,  forming  a 
circular  roof.  That  covering  extended  only  over  the  top, 
and  the  whole  seemed  a  rude  temple.  'Near  that  center 
rock  were  four  piles  of  wood,  like  the  ancient  funeral 
pyres  for  burning  sacrifices  on.  Inside  I  saw  the  priests 
officiating,  not  in  great  numbers ;  but  outside  were  many 
people  prostrate.  On  these  four  funeral  piles  were  four 
different  sacrifices — fish,  fowl,  brute  animal,  and  the  hu- 
man. Tlie  human  sacrifices  were  of  persons  who  had  been 
educated  from  early  infancy  to  believe  that  to  be  a  sacrifice 
on  those  altars  was  the  surest  passport  to  happiness  here- 
after.    They  were  chiefly  of  young  persons  near  maturity. 


SPIEITUALISM.  287 

There  were  more  convulsions  of  nature  in  those  days 
than  now.  Mankind,  not  understanding  the  laws  which 
produced,  or  governed  them,  looked  upon  them  as  indicat- 
ing the  anger  of  the  great  spirit  who  they  felt  governed 
them.  They  were  hovering  between  a  belief  that  the  sun 
was  that  great  spirit,  and  a  sort  of  instinctive  notion  that 
it  was  not.  It  was  a  very  indefinite  notion.  But  to  con- 
ciliate that  spirit  and  deprecate  his  anger  they  thought 
nothing  could  be  more  acceptable  than  to  offer  that  life 
which  they  valued  so  much  ;  and  it  was  not  in  reference  to 
the  future  but  to  the  present  that  they  deprecated  his 
anger.  They  were  a  very  rude  people.  Their  dresses 
were  very  simple,  and  of  very  coarse  texture.  It  was  a 
northern  climate  in  which  they  lived,  and  to  protect 
themselves  from  cold  they  wore  fur  under  their  clothes. 
I  saw  no  covering  on  their  heads ;  both  males  and 
females  wore  their  hair  flowing  naturally.  Their  upper 
garment  seemed  to  be  made  of  two  square  pieces  w^ith 
openings  for  the  head  and  for  the  arms,  fastened  around 
the  waist  by  some  sort  of  a  band,  and  descending  down 
to  the  middle  of  the  thigh.  The  under  garment  was  a 
sort  of  loose  pantaloon,  descending  to  the  knees ;  from 
the  knees  down  they  had  the  skin  of  some  animal  fit- 
ting close.  They  wore  a  kind  of  sandal  made  of  wood. 
They  were  poor;  their  dwellings  were  dug  down  in  the 
ground  five  or  six  feet,  with  a  roof  over  them  like  that  over 
the  temple. 

There  was  an  opening  at  the  top  in  the  temple  and  in 
the  houses  for  the  smoke  to  escape,  and  the  inside  was 
blackened  with  soot. 

I  saw  the  priests  approach  the  altars.  One  of  the  vic- 
tims was  a  female.  She  lay  upon  her  back  on  the  altar, 
her  hands  bound  to  her  sides,  etc.  All  the  victims  were 
alive.  The  priests  wore  long  garments  that  trailed 
on  the  ground,  fastened  at  the  neck,  and  on  their  backs 
were  worked  hieroglyphic  characters.  There  were  twelve 
or  more  at  each  altar,  and  facing  from  the  crowd.     They 


288  SPIKITTJALISM. 

seemed  to  be  bowing  and  chanting,  with  guttural  sounds,  in 
a  sing-song  tone.  Outside  of  them,  and  inside  the  circle 
of  stones,  was  a  complete  circle  of  men  and  w^omen,  two 
or  three  deep.  Many  of  them  had  horns  in  their  hands  of 
goats  or  cows,  or  shells,  to  blow  on.  Some  w^ith  a  rude 
sort  of  drum,  a  hollow  log  with  skin  over  it ;  others  with 
flat  pieces  of  wood  which  they  beat  together.  Some  of 
them  had  no  instruments — they  must  have  been  singers. 
They  stood  immovable  while  the  priests  went  through  their 
ceremonies. 

After  a  while  the  priests  turned  around,  facing  the  out- 
side of  the  circle  and  with  their  backs  to  the  altars.  As 
they  did  so,  I  saw  the  front  of  their  garbs,  which  before  I 
had  not  seen.  The  dress  was  the  same  as  the  others,  ex- 
cept that  the  edges  of  their  upper  garments  were  bound 
with  fur.  They  wore  on  their  heads  a  singular  sort  of 
covering,  like  a  skull-cap,  fitting  close  to  the  head,  with 
square  projections  on  each  side  above  the  ears,  and  a  loose 
piece  hanging  down  over  each  ear  to  the  shoulders.  They 
wore  bands  on  the  neck,  wrists,  and  ankles,  which  shone 
and  seemed  to  be  made  of  tin. 

They  raised  their  hands  with  one  accord,  as  if  blessing 
the  people,  and  as  they  did  so,  the  musicians  began  their 
discordant  noise,  and  all  the  crowd  outside,  kneeling  still 
and  with  their  faces  to  the  ground,  shouted  and  clapped 
their  hands  over  their  heads.  The  instant  the  shouting 
began,  some  young  persons,  apparently  attendants  on  the 
priests,  rushed  into  the  temple  with  blazing  torches,  and 
set  fire  to  the  altars.  They  caught  instantly,  and  were  at 
once  enveloped  in  blaze  and  smoke.  This  was  so  rapid, 
that  the  suffering  of  the  victims  must  have  been  very  brief, 
and  their  cries  were  drowned  amid  the  clamor  of  the  mu- 
•sicians  and  the  shouting  multitude. 

I  could  not  imagine  how  such  small  altars  could  contain 
fuel  enough  to  consume  the  victims,  but  I  saw  that  the  at 
tendants  were  constantly  bringing  more  fuel  and  heaping 
it  on  the  victims  until  they  were  burned  to  ashes.     The 


SPIRITUALISM. 


fuel  had  evidently  been  carefully  prepared,  and  was  so 
bituminous  as  to  burn  rapidly.  I  saw,  during  the  process, 
the  half-burned  corpse  amid  the  flames  and  ashes. 

While  the  flames  were  raging,  the  crowd  outside  had 
arisen  to  their  feet  and  were  dancing  to  the  sound  of  that 
discordant  music.  "When  the  victims  had  been  entirely 
consumed,  the  crowd  outside  and  all  the  musicians  pros- 
trated themselves  on  the  ground,  and  the  priests,  carefully 
gathering  up  all  the  ashes  from  the  several  altars,  walked 
around  among  the  people  and  scattered  it  over  them. 

Then  the  people  retired  from  the  temple  to  their  respect- 
ive homes. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  the  priests  were  the  rulers  of  the 
people,  and  that  very  many  people  looked  with  contempt 
on  the  whole  ceremony,  but  dared  not  say  so,  for  fear  of 
their  rulers.  They  were  evidently  prepared  for  some  revo- 
lution in  their  religion. 

That  kind  of  sacrifice  was  not  very  frequent.  It  was  a 
great  and  rare  ceremony. 

Tiiey  were  a  very  rude  people,  living  chiefly  by  hunting 
and  fishing,  amid  dense  forests.  They  were  a  savage, 
fierce  race.  Their  moral  sentiments  were  very  little  de- 
veloped. The  tops  of  their  heads  were  quite  flat,  but  their 
intellectual  faculties  were  quite  prominent,  forming,  in 
these  respects,  a  strong  contrast  with  the  Caribbean  Indians 
whom  I  had  seen  in  Central  America,  who  were  as  kind 
and  as  gentle  as  they  were  ignorant  and  simple.  They 
could  not  have  felt  much  pain  at  the  idea  of  a  human 
sacrifice,  nor  could  they,  in  their  condition,  have  enjoyed 
much  pleasure. 

I  next  saw  the  entrance  into  the  spirit-world  of  the  spirit 
of  the  human  victim. 

Though  she  had  been  carefully  educated  in  their  secluded 
schools  with  much  pains,  to  make  her  believe  that  her  sac- 
rifice would  be  beneficial  to  her,  yet  she  dreaded  death, 
for  she  was  uncertain  and  uninstructed  as  to  the  future, 
and  the  world  around  her  was  very  pleasant. 

19 


290  SPIRITUALISM. 

She  awoke  to  consciousness  in  the  spirit-life  before  the 
ceremonies  were  concluded.  Her  first  emotions  seemed  to 
be  but  a  continuation  of  the  feelings  which  predominated 
in  her  at  the  moment  of  her  death,  and  she  could  not  re- 
alize that  she  had  died.  She  saw  the  whole  scene  around 
her  just  as  she  had  seen  it  while  in  life.  The  only  difi'er- 
ence  she  could  discover  was,  that  instead  of  being  bound 
on  the  altar,  she  was  now  floating  in  the  air,  just  above 
the  rude  temple,  and  viewing  the  scene  through  its  roof. 
It  puzzled  her  a  good  deal.  She  did  not  understand  it. 
She  before  had  no  idea  of  such  a  thing!  But  as  she  gazed, 
she  felt  herself  drawn  upward  and  away  from  the  scene, 
until  it  faded  from  her  view.  It  was  not  till  then  she  look- 
ed around  to  see  what  was  thus  drawing  her  up  and  where 
she  was  going. 

On  one  side  of  her  she  saw  a  number  of  dark  spirits, 
who  approached  quite  near  to  her,  and  claimed  that  she 
should  go  with  them.  They  were  vociferous  in  insisting 
upon  her  doing  so. 

On  the  other  side  she  saw  a  number  of  bright  spirits, 
who  were  at  a  greater  distance  from  her,  and  who  spoke 
not,  but  gazed  upon  her  with  looks  of  kindness  and  af- 
fection. 

She  had  been  a  pure  and  innocent  girl,  doing  right 
according  to  her  best  knowledge,  and  she  had  intellect 
enough  to  understand  at  once  that  she  had  a  choice  where 
to  go  and  what  that  choice  ought  to  be. 

She  turned  her  back  on  those  dark  spirits,  and  reached 
out  her  hands  imploringly  to  the  brighter  ones.  They  in- 
stantly approached  her,  took  her  affectionately  in  their 
arms,  and  with  songs  and  rejoicing  receded  far  in  the  dis- 
tance and  passed  from  my  view. 

During  the  vision  I  was  impressed  that  the  scene  occurred  in  the  north 
«of  Europe,  and  about  two  thousand  years  ago. 


SPIRITUALISM.  291 


ttiim  ijirtg-tfeo 


Sunday  J  Nov.  ethj  1853. 
The  circle  met  this  evening.     After  some  personal  communications 
through  Mrs.  Sweet,  it  was  written  through  Dr.  Dexter  : 

The  influence  on  certain  minds  of  causes  presuming  to 
emanate  from  the  world  of  spirits  produces  peculiar,  and, 
perhaps,  unnatural  emotions.  Thus,  in  the  individual  who 
has  entered  on  a  new  exploration  of  facts  unconnected 
with  the  natural  world  (as  is  generally  understood),  the 
feelings  of  his  mind  resemble  the  commotion  of  the  waters 
at  Hurlgate ;  no  two  eddies  or  currents  of  thought  are 
alike,  and  the  new  and  varied  impressions  which  agitate 
his  mind  resemble  nothing  before  of  the  emotion  or  senti- 
ment of  mental  action. 

Thus  it  is  to  all  of  you  that  truth,  in  its  nearness  of  pres- 
entation, elicits  thoughts  painful,  from  their  magnitude 
and  importance,  and  the  mind  is  completely  staggered  in 
the  contemplation  of  the  great  impressions  which  it  recog- 
nizes. 

Can  it  be  understood,  therefore,  if  the  mind  is  swallowed 
up  in  the  thought  of  spirit-intercourse  in  the  form,  that  the 
emotions  which  influence  it  on  its  entrance  into  the  spirit- 
world  should  almost  confound  it  ?  That  when  the  tangi- 
bility and  reality  of  life  forever  is  offered  to  the  individual 
senses,  that  the  first  emotions  should  almost  exhaust  its 
capacity  of  realization  ? 

To  you,  friends,  the  spirit-revelation  is  but  new  and  lim- 
ited. What  will  henceforth  be  revealed  to  you  will  so  far 
exceed  what  you  have  realized,  that  you  too  will  ask  the 
question,  Are  these  things  so  ? 


292  .    SPIRITUALISM. 

I  make  these  remarks  that  you  may  be  prepared  for  what 
is  to  take  place. 

I^Tow,  Judge,  let  your  mind  direct  itself  for  a  short  time 
to  our  impressions,  and  we  will  afterward  give  a  teaching 
through  the  Doctor  on  our  proper  subject.  Bacon. 

I  was  then  impressed,  and  spoke  as  follows  : 

Far  off  in  the  distant  regions  of  space — rolling  orbs  of 
light,  of  various  sizes,  in  the  background — located,  as  it 
were,  in  mid-heaven,  is  the  scene  which  is  presented  to 
my  view. 

There  is  a  clearness  to  the  atmosphere  far  transcending 
all  we  ever  see  here,  and  the  sky  is  a  deeper  blue.  In  this 
space,  seated  upon  a  globe  or  orb  of  light,  on  a  sort  of 
throne,  is  the  most  lofty  and  elevated  spirit  I  have  yet 
seen.  The  throne  is  very  beautiful,  and  is  surmounted 
with  a  canopy  in  the  shape  of  a  crown.  Leaning  lightly, 
with  their  arms  on  the  projecting  points  of  the  crown,  are 
several  bright  and  pure  spirits.  And  so  by  its  side,  and  on 
its  top,  are  many  similar  spirits.  They  are  young,  appa- 
rently from  sixteen  to  twenty  years  of  age  ;  and  they  clus- 
ter around  that  throne,  with  great  affection  for  the  person 
in  it,  like  loving  children  around  a  fond  parent.  On  both 
sides,  and  over  it,  are  innumerable  spirits,  clad  in  beau- 
tiful and  many-colored  garments,  and  very  lovely.  They 
seem  to  be  at  leisure,  and  are  very  affectionate  to  each 
other.  'No  one  wishes  to  be  alone.  Their  arms  are  twined 
around  each  other's  waists.  They  gather  in  small  groups, 
and  seem  to  derive  their  happiness  from  each  other. 

He  who  sits  there  enthroned  is  clothed  in  a  garment 
of  the  richest  red,  ornamented  with  gold  and  silver  and 
sparkling  gems ;  even  his  sandals  sparkle  thus. 

His  countenance  is  indescribably  bright.  It  is  more  daz- 
zling than  the  noonday  sun.  Around  his  head  is  a  halo  of 
golden  light,  indicative  of  love,  which  is  ever  pouring  its 
streams  far  into  the  distance,  and  illuminating  all  around 
him,  mingling  with  the  light  emanating  from  the  attending 


SPIRITUALISM.  293 

spirits,  as  we  sometimes  see  the  clouds  of  a  summer  eve 
blend  together.  He  is  the  very  Spirit  of  Love  itself.  His 
affection  is  an  overflowing  well,  pouring  its  grateful  waters 
on  all  around  him.  I  have  never  seen  any  thing  equal  to 
it.  'No  distrust  of  others — no  unkind  feelings  can  find  en- 
trance there.  How  dark  does  the  recollection  of  this  world 
seem,  compared  with  the  glowing  love  of  that ! 

His  countenance  is  transparent — clear  as  the  finest  ala- 
baster, yet  so  soft,  so  sweet ! 

Raising  one  hand,  and  pointing  upward,  he  says,  "  '  A 
closer  wajk  with  God.'*  'Tis  love  alone  that  points  the 
way ;  love  for  him — love  for  all  the  creatures  he  has 
made.  What  is  the  mighty  power  which  has  spoken  into 
existence  the  countless  worlds  that  roll  before  you,  with 
their  myriads  of  immortal  souls,  but  the  demonstration  of 
his  love  ? 

"  Think  you  He  has  peopled  these  worlds  that  thus  roll  for 
eternity  through  space,  that  they  might  be  doomed  to  un- 
happiness,  that  through  eternity  they  should  be  miserable  ? 
Oh  !  no  !  no  !  no  !  His  love  spoke  them  into  being.  His 
love  is  a  part  of  the  spirit  he  cast  from  himself  as  the  germ 
of  their  existence.  The  worlds  in  which  he  has  placed 
them  are  filled  with  the  same  undying  spirit  of  love.  The 
air,  the  ocean,  and  the  earth  are  full  of  this  divine  attribute 
of  his  nature ;  and  the  natural  longing  of  the  human  heart, 
wherever  located,  speaks  of  the  same  impress. 

"  We  who  roam  far  into  the  regions  of  space,  amid  count- 
less worlds  to  you  unknown,  and  far  beyond  the  wildest 
flight  of  your  imaginations,  see  everywhere  His  love.  His 
might,  his  wisdom,  his  all-pervading  presence  are  but  evi- 
dences of  his  love,  and  manifestations  of  its  domination. 
We  who,  for  ages  countless  to  you,  have  lived  near  unto 
his  presence,  as  we  have  advanced  step  by  step,  from  our 
material  nature,  to  a  closer  walk  with  him,  have  seen  only 
his  love.    " 

*  Some  allusion  had  been  made,  in  our  conversation,  to  the  hymn  begin- 
ning with  those  words. 


SPIKITUALISM. 

"  Oh !  could  we  but  make  you  receive  our  testimony  1 
When  we  speak  to  you  of  His  love,  does  there  not  rise  from 
the  deepest  recesses  of  your  hearts  a  voice  that  responds  ? 
And  will  you  not  listen  to  its  pleadings  ?  It  is  deep  speak- 
ing unto  deep,  and  will  it  not  answer?  It  is  the  spirit  of 
God  speaking  to  itself,  and  are  your  hearts  so  darkened 
that  it  can  get  no  reply  ? 

"  Through  all  His  wondrous  works  the  arm  of  his  love  is 
outstretched  to  you,  and  will  you  turn  coldly  away  ?  Will 
you  smother  the  divine  influence  that  is  working  within 
you,  and  bury  it  amid  the  crumbling  ruins  of  your  material 
passions  ?  Worms'  of  the  dust  that  ye  are  !  groveling  from 
your  material  nature  upon  the  earth  to  which  you  are  con- 
fined, will  you  spurn  the  hand  that  thus  reaches  out  to  lift 
you  from  your  degradation,  and  enable  you  too  to  career 
on  angels'  wings  through  the  illimitable  space  which  is 
redolent  of  his  love  ? 

"  Oh !  bethink  you  in  time !  Clothe  Him  not  with  the  vile 
attributes  of  your  material  existence.  Defile  not  his  holy 
love  by  enveloping  it  in  the  garb  of  your  evil  propensities. 
Deceive  not  yourselves  by  the  crude  and  false  notions  of 
him  which  your  blinded  teachers  have  inculcated ;  for  in 
that  deception  is  your  condemnation — in  those  false  opin- 
ions are  your  darkness  and  unhappiness. 

"  And  now,  when  the  light  of  His  love  is  flowing  in  over- 
whelming streams  upon  you,  beware  that  the  barriers  of 
your  selfishness  do  not  shut  it  out  from  your  hearts  ;  for 
according  to  the  light  you  receive  will  you  be  judged  ;  ac- 
cording to  the  blessings  bestowed  upon  you  will  be  your 
accountability.  Your  future  is  in  your  own  hands,  and  its 
darkness  or  brightness  will  be  of  yourselves. 

''  Go  forth,  then,  all  of  you,  among  men.  Go  forth,  with 
your  own  hearts  answering  to  the  call  of  His  love.  Go 
forth,  aiming  only  at  the  redemption  of  your  fellows.  Go 
forth,  regardless  of  the  sacrifices  which  you  may  be  called 
upon  to  make.  Go  forth  as  the  ministers  of  his  love,  cast- 
ing behind  you  the  earth,  its  passions,  and  its  cravings. 


SPIEITTTALISM.  295 

and  proclaim  throughout  all  the  corners  of  the  earth  that 
love  which  now  yearns  through  all  space,  from  him  to  us, 
and  through  us  to  you,  to  elevate  you  to  a  nearer  approach 
to  him.  Go  forth,  then,  as  the  servants  of  the  Most  High, 
strong  in  his  power,  and  confident  in  his  love,  and  redeem 
mankind ;  so  that  when  your  task  is  performed,  you,  like 
us,  may  bask  in  the  love  which  fills  our  souls. 

"And  go  back  thou,  oh !  man  of  a  stout  heart  and  mighty 
faith,  and  in  thy  daily  walk  show  that  thy  heart  answers  to 
the  Spirit  of  God,  which  speaks  to  its  dark  recesses :  purify 
thyself  with  fervent  heat,  for  only  thus  canst  thou  be  a  use- 
ful servant  of  his  purity." 

Here  his  teachings  ceased,  and  I  seemed  to  return  to- 
ward earth;  and  as  I  approached  it,  I  shuddered  at  the 
contrast !  I  saw  its  darkness,  its  strife,  the  turmoil  of  its 
boiling  passions,  its  gross  impurity ;  and  as  with  emotions 
of  deep  grief  I  paused  and  looked,  a  voice  spoke  to  me, 
as  from  a  far  distance,  "  Go  forth  on  thy  mission,  for  even 
this  barren  wilderness  shall  yet  blossom  like  the  rose." 


Thursday  J  Nm).  10,  1853. 

The  circle  met  this  evening  at  my  library,  all  present  but  the  Doctor. 
I  was  soon  influenced,  and  said : 

I  SAW  the  same  scene  I  witnessed  last  Sunday  evening, 
the  same  spirit  shedding  abroad  that  beautiful  golden  light 
and  surrounded  by  that  host  of  bright  and  loving  spirits. 
But  I  was  not  as  near  to  it  as  before,  and,  as  I  approached 


296  SPIRITUALISM. 

it,  it  seemed  to  recede  from  me.  I  was  evidently  advancing 
toward  it,  but  it  receded  faster  than  I  advanced,  and  so  it 
diminished  to  a  very  small  size  in  the  far  distance.  It  left 
behind  it  a  beautiful  rose-colored  light,  that  diverged  from 
it  and  radiated  in  all  directions,  until  it  was  mingled  and 
lost  in  the  blue  ethereal  through  which  I  was  passing. 

I  could  readily  perceive  that  I  was  moving  through 
space  in  the  same  direction.  I  felt  myself  supported  and 
borne  forward  by  many  spirits  who  were  with  me,  but  the 
grossness  of  my  nature  retarded  me,  and  a  want  of  that 
purity  which  enabled  them  to  go  so  easily.  The  spirits 
around  me  told  me  that  if  I  could  only  attain  to  that  rosy 
light,  and  fully  feel  its  influence,  I  should  become  more 
ethereal  and  progress  more  rapidly.  They  continued  to 
urge  and  help  me  forward,  but  I  could  only  enter  its  outer 
edge,  where  it  was  so  diffused  as  to  be  hardly  perceptible. 
Still  we  struggled  on,  and  amid  our  struggles,  I  heard  a 
voice  from  that  far  distant  spot  of  light,  that  fell  upon  my 
ear  like  soft,  thrilling  music,  saying : 

"  Come  !  come  to  the  home  of  the  pure  and  good.  Come 
to  the  land  where  reigns  forever,  and  over  all  things,  that 
love  of  which  we  have  taught  you.  Come  to  the  land 
where  the  light  of  God  makes  the  soul  free — free  to  learn 
his  marvelous  wisdom — free  to  enter  his  courts  with  praise 
— free  to  approach  nigh  unto  him.  Come  and  see  what 
happiness,  beyond  your  comprehension,  the  soul  is  capable 
of  enjoying  and  imparting.  Come  where  the  heart  is  ever 
lifted  up  in  songs  of  praise  of  his  goodness,  is  ever  filled 
with  his  love.  Come  and  see  what  the  soul  of  man  is 
capable  of  being,  of  doing,  and  enjoying.  Come  !  and, 
standing  in  our  midst,  and  casting  your  eyes  backward  and 
forward  into  eternity,  see  how  inconsiderable  is  the  time 
in  which  you  are  enveloped  in  your  material  existence, 
and  yet  how  its  direction  for  good  or  ill  makes  its  impress^ 
for  eternity !  Come !  and  with  your  understanding  en- 
larged, your  capacity  to  know  increased,  by  the  divine 
light  that  will  be  shed  upon  you,  come  and  see  what  is 


SPIEITU ALISM.  297 

the  gi'eat  Creator  whom  you  are  so  fond  of  clothing  with 
human  attributes.  Come,  where,  feeling  his  power  and 
his  love,  you  may  worship  him  with  a  just  appreciation  of 
his  nature,  and  may  feel  the  ennobling  and  elevating  in- 
fluences of  that  appreciation.  O  come  !  for  it  is  the  power 
of  love  alone  that  can  draw  you  up,  and  that  power  which 
can  alone  reward  you  for  the  struggle.  Come,  and  forget 
the  groveling  worm  of  the  dust,  and  think  only  of  angels 
w^ho  may  revel  in  the  light  of  his  love  forever." 

But,  alas  !  I  could  not  go.  I  felt  the  soft  and  soothing 
influences  of  that  voice,  which  fell  upon  my  ear  like  the 
mellow  notes  of  the  horn  by  distance  made  more  sweet ; 
but  with  all  the  aid  of  the  spirits  around  me,  I  was  left  be- 
hind. But  they  bade  me  ''Despair  not.  It  can  yet  be 
done  ;  and  even  that  happy  home  of  the  good  and  the 
pure  can  yet  be  attained  by  every  human  soul — can  be ! 
but  oh  !  through  what  toil !  through  what  earnest  labor ! 
through  what  unceasing  efforts  !  It  is  the  home  of  the 
good  and  the  pure  alone,  and  naught  can  attain  it  but  a 
life  that  is,  in  its  whole,  a  life  of  goodness  and  purity. 
Plant  firmly,  then,  in  your  material  existence,  the  founda- 
tion of  the  ladder  by  which  you  may  ascend,  and  know, 
that  while  it  may  be  surrounded  by  angels,  ascending  and 
descending,  you,  too,  may  ascend  the  more  rapidly  onward 
and  upward  for  ever." 

After  a  brief  pause,  I  added  : 

I  was  taken  to  that  scene  near  the  fountain,  where  I  had 
so  often  been,  and  there  I  saw  a  large  collection  of  spirits, 
some  with  musical  instruments  in  their  hands.  They  were 
singing,  but  oh  !  how  softly,  how  sweetly  the  hymn : 

"  There  is  a  happy  land 
Far,  far  away, 
Where  saints  in  glory  stand 
In  bright  array." 

Wliile  they  were  yet  singing,  I  was  taken  back  to  the 
balustrade,  on  the  edge  of  the  precipice,  and  my  wife,  who 


S  P  I E  I T  IJ  A  L I  S  M . 

was  by  my  side,  leaning  on  the  railing,  said  to  me :  "  Look 
below,  and  behold  the  change  which  has  been  wrought  in 
so  short  time  !"  and  I  beheld  that  many  places  which  were 
once  dark  had  become  lightened,  and  there  were  more 
bright  spots  in  the  scene.  The  light  seemed  shooting  up 
from  the  inhabitants  themselves,  penetrating  and  dispelling 
the  dark  clouds  which  formerly  brooded  over  them  all.  I 
saw  many  more  bright  spirits  hovering  over  them  and 
drawing  nigher  to  them,  and  I  beheld  that  the  dark  spirits 
who  once  lingered  there  were  repelled  by  that  light.  It 
was  a  scene  of  great  activity  ;  the  dark  spirits,  as  they  were 
thrown  off  by  the  increasing  light,  were  struggling  to  re- 
sist its  influence  and  to  retain  their  proximity,  while  in- 
numerable bright  ones  were  darting  from  place  to  place, 
and  aiding  the  people  in  their  struggle  for  light. 

As  I  beheld,  she  said  to  me,  "Such  is  the  effect  which 
the  spirit-teachings  have  already  produced  in  your  dark- 
ened sphere,  and  will  it  not  be  a  happy  day  when  o'er  all 
that  scene  that  light  shall  universally  prevail,  and  the 
light-spirits  be  allowed  to  draw  so  near  you  as  to  be  daily 
and  hourly  in  communion  with  you?  That  time  will  surely 
come.  It  may  not  be  during  your  sojourn  on  earth,  or 
during  that  of  any  of  you,  who  are  now  engaged  in  this 
holy  work ;  but  when  you  all  shall  have  passed  from  that 
scene,  and  you  can  stand  on  the  confines  of  the  spirit- 
world,  and  behold,  each  of  you,  the  good  you  have  done, 
oh  !  how  your  hearts  will  swell  with  gratitude  to  him  for 
permitting  you  to  be  ministers  of  his  holy  will  in  the  re- 
demption of  man  !  how  full  will  be  your  hearts  of  that 
happiness  which  can  flow  only  from  love  to  God  and  the 
creatures  he  has  made.  And  you,  my  husband  !  think  not 
of  man's  praise.  Think  only  of  the  happiness  which  you 
may  earn  by  obeying  his  will." 


SPIBITTTALISU.  299 


Sunday  J  Nov.  13,  1853. 
This  evening  I  went  up  to  the  Doctor's. 

The  spirits  after  writing  a  few  words  of  a  private  nature  through  the 
Doctor,  gave  the  Allowing  teachings  through  me  : 

The  ultimate  destiny  of  man  !  So  far  beyond  any  thing 
that  the  most  extravagant  imagination  has  ever  conceived ! 

Measuring  that  destiny  by  the  standard  of  the  powers 
manifested  by  man  when  in  the  form,  and  impeded  and 
chained  down  by  its  material  shackles,  the  mind  has  not  im- 
bibed even  a  distant  conception  of  his  future,  either  as  to  his 
happiness  or  his  might.  Happiness,  compared  with  which 
the  most  joyous  life  on  earth  is  dark  despair ;  and  might, 
that  approximates  man  nigh  unto  the  Godhead,  and  clothes 
him  with  many  of  its  divine  attributes :  the  attribute  of 
diffusing  happiness  and  dispensing  justice  among  the  count- 
less millions  that  people  space  ;  the  attribute  of  executing 
His  laws  o'er  all  the  vast  universe  of  matter  He  has  created, 
and  the  power  to  grasp  and  make  his  own — that  knowledge 
which  has  no  bounds  but  illimitable  space,  and  no  end  but 
eternity. 

The  object  of  our  material  existence  is  to  lay  the  founda- 
tion for  this  high  destiny;  not  its  only  object,  but  a  primary 
one,  the  progressive  development  from  the  womb  to  the 
grave  being  but  means  to  this  end.  And  as  the  ball  falling 
from  on  high  to  the  surface  of  the  earth  moves  with  con- 
stantly accelerating  velocity,  so  the  soul  of  man,  starting 
on  its  race  of  progression,  speeds  in  its  progress  with  ever- 
increasing  rapidity;  and  as  the  ball,  if  arrested  in  its 
course,  loses  a  momentum  it  can  never  regain,  so  the  soul, 


300  SPIRITUALISM. 

having  its  progress  arrested,  must  feel  to  eternity  the  loss 
of  that  momentum  it  can  never  recover.  I  mean,  though 
the  ball,  though  starting  again  after  its  fall  has  been  arrest- 
ed, may  at  a  certain  distance  acquire  the  same  momentum 
it  had  obtained  when  it  was  stopped,  yet  at  that  distance 
it  can  not  have  the  augmented  velocity  it  would  have  had 
if  its  j)assage  had  been  unimpeded,  for  it  has  lost  it  forever. 
So  it  is  with  the  soul  in  its  -advance  in  knowledge — that 
knowledge,  be  it  understood,  whose  foundation  it  was  de- 
signed should  be  laid  in  the  material  existence. 

No  matter  what  the  cause  which  arrests  its  flight, 
whether  from  the  want  of  light  or  the  abuseof  it  when  fur- 
nished, the  effect  is,  more  or  less,  the  same.  How  vastly 
important  it  is  then  to  man,  that  he  should  not  only  under- 
stand his  ultimate  destiny,  but  the  object  of  his  primary  or 
material  existence  !  Important,  I  mean,  not  only  in  refer- 
ence to  his  advance  in  knowledge,  but  in  reference  to  his 
happiness  also ;  for  you  must  at  once  perceive  that  that 
law  of  his  nature  which  demands  of  him  that  he  progress 
in  knowledge,  can  not  be  violated  without  causing  him  un- 
happiness,  and  that  unhappiness  is,  more  or  less,  according 
as  the  violation  of  that  law  is  willful  or  accidental.  Is  it 
not  so  with  any  law  which  applies  to  your  material  exist- 
ence? If  you  thrust  your  hand  into  the  flame,  it  causes 
you  pain,  and  that  pain  will  be  aggravated  by  the  con- 
sciousness that  you  have  of  your  own  accord  produced  it. 
The  law  applying  to  this  simple  act  is  that  which  governs 
our  whole  existence  in  all  its  various  and  most  minute  parts 
as  in  its  totality. 

Then,  as  to  the  effect  on  his  progress  in  knowledge,  first 
or  last,  he  must  know — earlier  or  later,  he  must  achieve 
the  knowledge  wdiich  is  to  enable  him  to  attain  his  high 
destiny,  and  perform  the  sublime  and  mighty  duties  be- 
longing to  it :  the  duty  of  executing  the  will  of  the  great 
Creator  in  marshaling  countless  worlds  in  their  orbits,  in 
gathering  from  the  disjointed  matter  scattered  throughout 
space,  new  worlds  upon  new  worlds,  and  developing  from 


SPIRITUALISM.  301 

tliat  matter,  when  properly  prepared,  immortal  spirits  in 
their  turn  to  people  eternity.  As  hour  by  hour  countless 
numbers  of  immortal  spirits  are  ushered  into  a  life  that  is 
to  be  eternal,  so  hour  by  hour  are  new  worlds  evolved,  as 
fitting  scenes  on  which  to  enact  their  part  in  the  drama  of 
existence,  and  to  give  play  and  scope  to  that  germ  from 
the  Great  First  Cause  which  is  speeding  its  way  back  to  the 
source  whence  it  emanated. 

Briefly  has  this  been  said,  but  I  pray  you  ponder  on  it 
well,  for  when  your  mind  shall  once  have  grasped  the  idea, 
a  new  field  of  existence  will  be  open  to  its  view — new 
sources  of  happiness  be  unfolded,  and  its  eternal  progress 
be  begun. 


tdxan  Cljirtg-fih. 


Monday,  Nov.  14,  1853. 

This  evening  the  circle  met  in  my  library,  and  through  the  Doctor  it 
■was  written : 

Our  subject  for  this  evening  is  in  continuation  of  the 
legitimate  matter  for  our  book.  "We  have  rapidly  traced 
creation's  progress  from  the  atomic  particle  up  to  man,  and 
are  now  to  consider  the  special  development  of  this  head 
of- the  animal  creation,  or  rather,  give  you  our  opinion  of 
the  manner  in  which  this  development  took  place. 

But  there  is  much  to  be  considered  before  entering  on 
the  causes  which  generated  from  the  whole  of  the  created 
works  of  God  this  being,  bound  to  earth  by  his  organiza- 
tion, and  yet  connected  with  heaven  by  his  birthright  and 
his  attributes.     Man,  specially  or  individually  considered 


302  SPIRITUALISM. 

in  reference  to  his  physical  organization,  represents  only  a 
condition  of  existence  at  once  adapted  to  place  him  at  the 
head  of  animals.  JSTot  referring  to  the  immeasurably  greater 
amount  of  nervous  matter  which  is  so  beautifully  dis- 
tributed throughout  his  system,  and  so  arranged  that  every 
impression  should  be  carried  to  a  distinct  point,  where  the 
result  of  that  impression  wonld  produce  the  proper  action, 
but  in  reference  to  the  arrangement  of  his  organs,  their 
position,  size,  shape,  etc.,  he  is  indeed  qualified  to  stand, 
as  he  was  designed,  at  the  head  of  animated  nature. 

The  various  organs  which  compose  his  body  resemble 
in  their  shape,  and  the  position  which  they  occupy,  the 
same  organs  relatively  situated  in  other  animals,  affording 
striking  proof  that  as  far  as  regards  his  physical  conforma- 
tion, he  is  the  improvement  on  every  other  animal  creation, 
and  that  he  was  therefore  the  latest  creation.  In  reference 
to  the  powers  and  capacities  of  his  organism,  he  does  not 
possess  the  strength  of  the  horse,  but  the  arrangement  and 
construction  of  his  hands  and  arms  enable  him  to  move 
weights  that  the  horse  can  not  stir.  He  can  not  see  in  the 
night  as  some  other  animals  can,  but  his  eye  is  so  situated 
that  it  can  embrace  a  much  larger  scope  of  vision  than 
that  of  any  other  animal  created.  He  is  not  so  fleet  as  the 
deer,  but  the  muscles  of  his  limbs  enable  him  to  run  down 
the  fleetest  courser,  by  their  strength  and  endurance. 

Aside  from  the  organization  of  his  brain  and  the  vast 
amount  of  cerebral  substance  which  evidently  denotes  his 
susceptibility  and  powers  of  comprehension ;  aside  from 
the  action  of  his  spirit-nature,  which  controls  the  action  of 
all  impressions  and  their  effect  on  his  brain,  the  whole 
fashion  of  his  physical  nature  exhibits  him  as  capable  of 
enduring  every  vicissitude  of  climate  and  every  condition 
of  life,  from  the  rudest  savage  life,  where,  isolated  and  sol- 
itary, he  exists  as  a  beast  of  prey,  to  that  condition  where, 
in  large  numbers,  he  is  forced  to  provide  for  his  physical 
wants  in  another  and  entirely  different  manner. 

By  the  size  and  shape  of  his  lungs,  and  the  connection 


SPIRITUALISM.  303 

of  the  vessels  whicli  convey  the  blood  through  them  to  all 
parts  of  his  body,  he  manifests  his  ability  to  exist  in  the 
highest  altitudes  as  well  as  in  those  locations  where  the  at- 
mosphere is  humid  or  blended  with  a  thousand  ingredients 
deleterious  to  life.  By  the  exquisite  fashioning  of  his  skin 
he  can  throw  off  what  is  obnoxious  to  health,  and  by  the 
peculiar  arrangement  of  its  organization  he  can  endure  the 
most  intense  heat  as  well  as  the  most  severe  cold. 

His  digestive  organs  can  dispose  of  an  immeasurable 
variety  of  food,  taken  separately  or  collectively ;  and,  per- 
haps, there  is  no  other  animal  that  can  so  long  exist  with- 
out food  or  drink,  without  injury  to  his  body,  as  man  in 
his  natural  state.  Take  him  in  all  the  developments  of  his 
physical  system,  he  exhibits,  as  a  whole,  a  distinct  class, 
in  which  certain  characteristics  are  observed  possessed  by 
him  alone,  and  yet  so  intimately  blended  with  the  peculi- 
arities and  physical  attributes  of  so  many  of  the  other  ani- 
mals around  him,  that  it  appears  as  if  in  him  were  to  be 
found  something  which  exists  in  all  the  species,  orders, 
genera,  and  classes  of  every  created  thing,  that  he  might 
in  his  physical  nature  be  able  to  conform  to  the  same  con- 
ditions and  circumstances  of  life  in  which  they  are  placed, 
and  that  his  system  might  be  able,  under  such  circum- 
stances, to  develop  the  same  properties  and  capacities  which 
might  be  required  if  called  on  to  act  when  so  situated. 

Thus  you  will  perceive  that  I  intend  to  describe  man  in 
his  physical  construction  as  representing  the  best  charac- 
teristics of  most  of  the  other  animals  of  which  he  stands  at 
the  head  ;  and  that  from  this  conformation  of  his  physical 
nature  he  would  be  able,  were  it  necessary,  without  the 
cooperation  of  his  spirit,  to  take  the  lead  in  every  thing 
which  belongs  to  mere  material  existence ;  that  his  organ- 
ization w^ould  enable  him  to  do  just  what  every  other  ani- 
mal does,  and  much  that  they,  by  their  organization,  could 
not  possibly  accomplish ;  that  his  very  organization  shows 
by  its  similarity  to  that  of  other  animals,  by  the  shape, 
size,  and  position  of  his  bones,  muscles,  nerves,  etc.,  etc., 


304  SPIEITUALISM. 

that  he  was  formed  after  the  separate  genera  of  other  ani- 
mals were  created,  and  that  by  this  correspondence  he  was 
an  improvement  on  all  and  every  other  animal  that  pre- 
ceded him. 

Thus,  when  you  compare  man  with  the  dog,  horse,  etc., 
etc.,  you  find  in  him  certain  organs  which  resemble  the 
same  organs  in  those  animals,  and  so  you  may  go  through 
the  whole  creation,  and  view  the  various  organs  in  every 
animal,  and  you  will  find  some  organ  in  man  which  will 
correspond  to  some  organ  in  them.  I  grant  that  a  some- 
what similar  correspondence  can  be  traced  in  the  several 
divisions  of  orders  or  classes  of  particular  animals,  but  in 
no  one  animal  can  this  universal  connection  be  found.  As 
if  man  alone,  of  all  the  created  works  of  God,  could  claim 
kindred  with  every  part  of  that  creation,  of  which,  em- 
phatically, he  is  the  masterpiece. 

And  when  we  thus  view  him  in  his  physical  organiza- 
tion, as  comprising  all  the  various  attributes  of  the  separate 
orders,  species,  etc.,  etc.,  of  animals,  all,  as  it  were,  con- 
centrated into  one  body,  we  are  prepared  to  comprehend 
why,  of  all  other  animals,  he  should  be  selected  to  receive 
that  other  part  of  his  nature,  which,  while  it  places  him 
as  the  master  of  the  world,  likewise  gives  him  preeminence 
in  eternity.  His  physical  nature,  were  it  deprived  of  its 
soul,  would,  by  its  own  peculiar  organization,  claim  prece- 
dence over  every  other  animal,  and  he  would  have  con- 
trolled them  to  minister  to  his  wants  ;  but  when  we  view 
him  as  possessed  of  a  separate  and  distinct  identity,  we 
can  then  conceive  of  how  much  importance  his  physical 
nature  was  to  creation,  and  for  what  purpose  God  breathed 
into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life. 

This  reflection  is  worthy  of  some  consideration,  for  it 
opens  to  your  minds  the  subject  of  man's  creation  in  a  dif- 
ferent aspect  than,  perhaps,  was  ever  before  presented  to 
your  minds. 

On  looking  over  creation  you  can  trace  each  distinct 
class  of  insects,  birds,  and  animals  from  the  germ  to  the 


,  SPIRITUALISM.  305 

perfect  development,  commencing  at  one  point  and  con- 
tinuing in  a  direct  connection  in  a  determinate  succession ; 
but  in  every  variety  you  can  distinguish  the  source  from 
which  it  sprung. 

In  every  development  you  can  detect  the  same  proper- 
ties manifest,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  as  in  the  parent 
source,  and  you  are  struck  with  the  similarity  of  instinct, 
appetites,  etc.,  etc.,  which  characterize  all  the  race  from 
one  variety  to  another.  But  were  you  to  separate  the 
spirit  from  the  body  of  man,  you  would  not,  could  not, 
trace  that  same  manifestation  in  all  the  varieties  of  his 
species  found  on  earth,  for  the  reason  I  have  given,  that 
his  material  nature  takes  on  so  many  of  the  various  attri- 
butes of  the  animal  creation,  that  his  manifestations  are 
universal,  not  special.  And  this  view  brings  us  to  another 
part  of  our  subject  of  much  moment  and  importance. 

If  there  were  no  spirit  connected  with  man's  material 
organization,  w^ould  he  have  remained  in  the  same  state  of 
existence  his  position  placed  him  in,  as  have  the  other  an- 
imals around  him  ? 

You  ask  how  can  this  be  answered?  In  reply,  let  me 
say,  that  in  all  the  works  of  God,  when  he  has  instituted 
certain  conditions  of  existence,  the  developments  in  that 
state  or  condition  are  always  in  exact  relation  to  the  very 
attributes  that  condition  manifests,  whether  in  animals  or 
vegetables. 

Thus  the  horse,  under  all  circumstances,  is  a  horse,  the 
ox  an  ox,  the  apple  is  yet  an  apple.  Each  species  may 
develop  some  new  attribute  as  a  species,  but  it  always  re- 
fers to  the  very  nature  it  exhibits,  from  the  germ  to  the 
development,  and  it  can  not  transcend  the  position  in  the 
scale  of  existence  in  which  it  has  been  placed.  As  a  horse, 
the  breed  may  be  improved,  but  the  improvement  can  not 
go  beyond  the  increase  or  development  of  its  properties  as 
a  horse.  It  does  not  generate  any  new  attribute  which 
connects  it  with  a  class  of  animals  above  it,  but  is  always 
connected  with  beauty  of  form,  strength  of  body,  fleetness, 

20 


306  SPIRITUALISM. 

docility,  etc.,  etc.  So  with  all  other  animals.  And  in 
Rome,  when  under  the  fostering  care  of  man  they  apparently 
develop  something  new  in  relation  to  this  law,  they  often 
return  to  their  old  habits  and  nature  whenever  the  influence 
is  lessened  or  they  are  allowed  the  least  degree  of  liberty. 
But  I  will  continue  this  subject  at  our  next  meeting. 

In  answer  to  a  question  asked  by  one  of  the  circle,  it  was  written : 

Why,  men  are  constantly  surrounded,  outside  of  a  cer- 
tain sphere,  with  dark  spirits,  who,  when  that  sphere  is 
opened,  can  always  come  in  contact  with  certain  gross 
parts  of  their  organism,  and  thus  influence  their  minds. 
They  are  not  outside,  but  quite  near,  as  they  always  attend 
the  good  spirits  wherever  they  go  on  earth.  Your  physical 
nature  is  the  means  by  which  they  influence  your  mind, 
and  as  the  good  spirits  are  in  connection  with  your  mind, 
they  are  in  connection  with  your  body.  The  former  influ- 
ence your  spirit  direct,  the  latter  by  exciting  some  of  the 
propensities  of  your  material  nature,  and  thus  reach  the 
mind.    . 


uiian  %\ixl^-m. 


Tuesday,  Nov.  22,  1853. 

The  Doctor  being  at  my  house,  I  inquired  if  I  had  received  aright,  the 
night  before,  an  impression  that  an  alteration  had  been  made  in  the 
public  room  of  the  community  where  my  wife  resided?  I  asked  the 
question  in  this  general  form ;  but  the  impression  I  alluded  to  was,  that 
one  expression  used  in  my  evening's  lecture  at  Philadelphia,  a  few  even- 
ings since,  had  been  inserted  in  a  scroll  under  my  seal. 

My  question  was  answered  by  giving  me  a  minute  ac- 
count of  the  alterations  which  had  been  made  in  the  public 
room  alluded  to.     It  had  been  much  improved  and  beauti- 


SPIRITUALISM.  307 

fied  with  windows  descending  to  the  floor,  and  between  the 
windows  pictures  of  the  most  interesting  acts  of  our  effortis 
in  the  cause.  Over  the  commander's  seat  was  a  canopy, 
in  the  center  of  which,  and  visible  from  all  parts  of  the 
hall,  is  the  seal.  In  front  of  that  seat  are  the  three  banners 
I  saw  in  the  procession. 

I  do  not  give  all  the  details,  only  the  important  items. 

I  said  in  reply,  that  was  not  the  alteration  I  referred  to, 
and  I  supposed,  therefore,  I  said,  that  it  was  my  imagina- 
tion which  had  given  birth  to  the  idea  of  the  scroll. 

It  was  answered : 

"  Why,  Judge,  this  is  in  sl  room,  but  it  is  the  room  of 
judgment,  and  you  can  see  it  in  a  moment." 

And,  sure  enough,  in  a  moment  I  was  in  the  spirit- world 
again,  and  walking  rapidly  up  the  broad  avenue  toward  the 
fountain ;  there  I  saw  assembled  a  large  crowd  of  spirits, 
with  very  pleasant  smiles  of  joy  and  welcome.  My  wife 
was  standing  at  the  entrance  of  her  garden,  with  her  two 
children  and  the  old  man,  her  attendant,  by  her  side.  The 
presiding  spirit  waved  his  hand  for  me  to  pass  on  to  my 
wife,  and  I  did  so.  I  passed  through  her  garden,  toward 
her  mansion,  she  leaning  on  my  arm,  and  saying  to  me, 
"  Is  not  this  like  old  times,  now?" 

I  entered  the  hall  of  her  mansion,  a  wide  and  spacious 
one,  with  pictures  hanging  on  its  walls.  As  I  ascended  the- 
stairs,  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  one  of  them.  It  was  a  por- 
trait of  me,  at  the  age  of  about  nineteen,  in  my  military 
dress — preserving  very  faithfully  the  likeness  of  me  the 
first  time  she  ever  saw  me  after  my  mere  boyhood. 

When  w^e  reached  the  head  of  the  stairs  (for  this  time 
she  ascended  with  me),  I  observed  an  inscription  over  the 
entrance  to  my  room,  "  Leave  not  Hope  behind."*     She 

*  This  evidently  referred  to  what  I  had  once  said  to  her  when  I  was  con- 
nected with  the  State  Prison,  that,  unlike  Dante's  Infernal  Regions,  I  wanted 
to  inscribe  over  its  entrance,  "  Leave  not  Hope  behind." 


308  SPIRITUALISM. 

entered  the  room  with  me,  and  conducted  me  to  a  large 
easy-phair  directly  behind  the  altar,  and  while  I  was  seated 
in  it,  she  leaned  on  its  back. 

I  turned  my  attention  at  once  to  the  left-hand  corner  of 
the  room,  where,  on  the  former  occasion,  I  had  seen  that 
terrible  dark  record;  and  now,  to  my  great  joy,  I  observed 
that  the  letters  had,  many  of  them,  faded  so  that  I  could 
not  read  them  ;  some  of  them  had  been  scraped  off,  as  if 
to  make  room  for  something  else ;  and  she  called  my  at- 
tention to  one  spot,  and  said,  "  See !  that  record  is  all 
gone."  My  answer  was,  "  Yes,  my  love  !  but  the  memory 
of  it  has  not." 

She  called  my  attention  to  other  things,  and  I  saw  from 
each  end  of  the  altar  there  sprang  up  a  jet  of  soft,  golden 
light,  which  diffused  a  mellow  hue  over  all  the  room.  She 
pointed  to  the  end  of  the  room  at  my  right,  and  it  was  very 
beautiful. 

There  were  two  windows  which  descended  to  the  floor, 
and  opened  out  upon  a  balcony,  from  which  was  a  view  of 
her  gardens,  and  the  groves  and  water  beyond  them.  There 
was  a  cornice  across  the  end  of  the  room,  as  if  of  crimson 
velvet,  festooned  up  by  golden  cords,  the  tassels  hanging 
just  below  it.  There  were  curtains  to  the  windows,  re- 
minding me  of  the  cartoons  of  Raphael ;  but  what  was  pic- 
tured on  them,  and  whether  by  painting  or  embroidery,  1 
could  not  tell,  for  they  were  drawn  back  and  festooned  up. 
Between  the  w^indows  the  groundwork  of  the  panel  was  a 
dazzling  crimson  ;  on  it  was  painted  in  blue  luster  my  seal, 
the  arm  in  bronze,  tinged  with  crimson,  and  the  letters  on 
the  scroll  in  gold.  Below  the  seal  were  two  spirits,  holding 
in  their  hands  a  curtain  of  white  satin,  the  shading  and  folds 
of  it  very  perfectly  painted,  and  on  it  were  the  words,  "  Dear 
companions  of  my  toil  and  faith !  Pause  not !  Faint  not ! 
Falter  not !" — the  expressions  I  had  used  in  my  lecture. 

The  letters  seemed  to  be  formed  of  a  golden  light,  for 
they  flickered  as  if  a  living  flame,  and  they  were  seen 
through  a  thin,  gauze-like  screen  of  pale  blue. 


SPIRITUALISM.  309 

I  saw,  also,  a  statue  in  each  comer  of  the  room  :  one  was 
of  a  man  naked  to  his  feet,  around  which  hung  his  panta- 
loons. His  arms  were  tied  above  his  head  to  a  ring  in  the 
wall,  and  his  face  was  turned  over  his  left  shoulder  with  a 
mingled  expression  of  terror  and  defiance.  Behind  him 
stood  a  large,  burly  man,  with  his  right  hand  as  if  to  strike, 
and  holding  in  it  a  cat-o'-nine-tails.  The  remaining  figure 
of  the  group  had  his  back  toward  me,  but' his  right  arm 
was  raised,  as  if  saying,  "Forbear."  It  represented  a. 
scene  which  once  occurred  in  the  State  Prison.^ 

*  It  seems  to  me  that  I  ought  to  tell  the  story  which  is  here  referred  to — 
not  merely  that  the  allusion  may  be  the  better  understood,  but  to  convey 
more  distinctly  the  idea  how  far  our  earthly  actions  penetrate  into  our  spirit- 
ual life. 

In  our  former  volume  I  remarked  that  I  was  appointed  President  of  the 
Board  of  Governors  (Inspectors,  as  they  were  called)  of  one  of  the  State  prisons 
of  New  York.  The  mode  of  government  which  obtained  was  entirely  that  of 
force;  the  cat-o'-nine-tails  was  freely  used,  and  horrible  cruelties  were  daily 
perpetrated.  I  found  this  so  engrafted  on  the  whole  system,  that  it  was  al- 
most impossible  to  change  it.  I,  however,  contemplated  a  change,  which  was 
finally  effected.  In  the  mean  time  I  felt  that  I  ought  to  witness,  personally, 
what  this  whipping  with  the  cat-o'-nine-tails  was,  so  that  I  might  judge  of  it 
for  myself;  yet  I  found  it  difficult  to  force  myself  to  do  so,  and  time  ran  on 
without  my  screwing  up  my  courage.  At  length,  one  day,  passing  through 
the  main  hall  of  the  prison,  I  accidentally  stumbled  on  the  scene ;  I  saw  a 
group  assembled  around  the  whipping- ring,  and  a  prisoner  tied  up  to  it,  as 
represented  in  the  statue.  I  approached  them  and  found  the  flagellation  had 
not  yet  begun,  though  all  things  were  in  readiness.  I  inquired  of  the  officers 
what  offense  he  had  committed,  and  learned  that  he  had  been  making  a  noise 
in  his  cell  at  night. 

While  I  was  speaking  with  them,  his  head  was  turned  over  his  shoulder,  as 
in  the  statue,  and  he  was  scanning  my  looks  very  intently,  with  a  strong  ex- 
pression in  his  own  of  a  hope  that  I  would  interfere.  I  did  not,  however,  but 
moved  back  a  few  steps,  as  ifto  witness  the  scene.  His  countenance  rapidly 
changed,  and  assumed  a  hardened,  desperate  look,  and  he  said,  "  Whip  away ! 
It  ain't  the  first  time.     It  has  never  done  me  any  good  yet,  and  won't  now." 

I  immediately  said  to  the  officers,  *'  Then  take  him  down.  He  knows  best 
what  will  do  him  good.  You  don't  whip  for  any  thing  else.  Take  him  to  his 
room,  and  in  the  mean  time  we'll  think  of  something  that  will  do  him  good." 
He  was  untied  and  directed  to  put  on  his  clothes.  He  was  very  much  sur- 
prised, and  all  the  time  he  was  dressing  he  was  looking  at  me,  as  if  asking 
what  it  all  meant.  As  I  turned  to  leave,  he  spoke  to  me  in  a  very  submissive, 
respectful  tone,  and  requested  permission  to  say  a  few  words  to  me.     I  assent- 


310  SPIRITUALISM. 

The  group  in  the  other  corner  was  a  statue  of  myself, 
holding  in  my  hand  a  map,  to  which  I  was  pointing  the 
attention  of  a  slave,  who,  seated  on  the  ground  at  my  feet, 
was  intently  gazing  on  it. 

I  could  not  see  what  was  delineated  on  the  wall  of  the 
room  behind  me  ;  but  the  eradication  of  so  much  of  that 
gloomy  record  awakened  in  me  such  feelings  of  gratitude, 
that  I  said  to'niy  wife,  "Let  us  kneel  together,  for  that  we 
have  never  yet  done,  and  give  thanks  to  God  !"  She  asked 
if  she  might  not  call  in  our  children  ?  I  said,  "  Certain- 
ly." And  as  we  four  knelt  around  that  altar,  I  uttered  this 
prayer : 

"  O !  thou  great  Jehovah !  beneficent  Father  of  all 
created  things  !  shed  abroad  upon  our  hearts  the  impress 
of  thy  divine  love,  that  we,  aiming  at  thy  purity,  may  revel 
in  its  mellow  light  forever." 

We  arose,  and  she,  leaning  on  my  arm,  led  me  from  the 
room.  As  we  were  leaving  it,  I  turned  to  look  at  the  other 
side  of  the  room  ;  she  playfully  checked  me,  saying,  "  Re- 
member Lot's  wife." 

We  then  entered  a  room  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hall, 
which  was  the  exact  counterpart  in  all  respects,  in  every 
little  article  of  furniture  even,  of  my  library  in  the  house 
where  she  died.  It  looked  out,  however,  upon  a  different 
scene. 

• 

ed,  and  took  him  to  my  office,  where  1  discovered  that  he  was  laboring  under 
disease  which  was  fast  verging  into  insanity ;  that  he  had  been  unable  to 
sleep  during  the  night,  and  had%,sked  the  guard  for  some  water.  His  request 
not  being  attended  to,  he  had  repeated  it  ratlier  impatiently,  and  in  too  loud 
a  tone,  and  that  was  his  offense.  I  found  from  his  story,  and  from  inquiries 
of  the  officers,  that  he  was  an  old  offender,  had  been  in  prison  two  or  three 
times  before,  and  was  one  of  the  most  turbulent  and  unruly  among  the  eight 
or  nine  hundred  prisoners  tliere  congregated. 

I  put  him  into  the  hospital,  and  kept  him  there  about  a  fortnight.  I  fre- 
quently conversed  with  him,  and  finally  returned  him  to  his  work.  During 
the  residue  of  his  confinement  in  that  prison  he  was  one  of  the  most  orderly, 
submissive,  and  obedient  men  there ;  and  in  my  efforts  to  reform  the  govern- 
ment of  the  prison,  I  frequently  referred  to  his  case  as  an  instanc#  of  what 
might  be  done  by  judicious  kindness  instead  of  brute  force. 


SPIRITUALISM.  311 

She  called  me  to  the  front  window,  and  there  I  beheld  a 
large  collection  of  spirits,  who,  with  musical  instruments 
and  with  their  voices,  sang  a  song  she  used  to  sing  to  me  so 
often.     It  was,  "  John  Anderson,  my  Joe  !" 

My  vision  was  now  so  improved,  that  whereas  before  I 
had  seen  only  the  blended  light  of  the  spirits  who  hovered 
in  the  air  over  the  scene,  now  I  saw  each  one  separate  and 
distinct.  They  were  of  all  imaginable  hues  and  colors,  and 
presented  a  picture  lovelier  far  than  imagination  ever  con- 
ceived. 

In  the  earlier  part  of  the  evening,  when  Lord  Bacon  had 
spoken  of  my  son,  I  had  wanted  to  inquire  as  to  his  charac- 
teristics. "Now,"  my  wife  said  to  me,  "look  at  him,  and 
judge  for  yourself  if  he  is  not  all  we  would  have  him  to 
be."  I  did  so,  and  was  not  a  little  amused  at  the  faithful- 
ness of  the  copy  of  myself;  but  he  had  a  good  deal  more 
modesty  than  his  father.* 

My  wife  also  called  my  attention  to  the  country  below 
our  elevation,  and  which  at  my  last  visit  I  had  seen  light- 
ing up,  as  if  improving  spiritually,  and  which  I  had  sup- 
posed was  intended  as  an  allegorical  representatichi  of  our 
earth's  condition.  She,  having  noticed  my  error,  now  said 
to  me,  "JSTo  !  that  is  an  actual  reality  in  the  spirit- world, 
and  shows  you  how  intimate  is  the  connection  between 
yours  and  ours.  As  you  rise  in  light,  and  knowledge,  and 
purity,  so  does  the  world  above  you  rise,  for  their  affection 
for  you  keeps  them  down.  As  you  elevate  the  pedestal  the 
statue  rises." 

As  I  stood  gazing,  suddenly  the  tower,  which  was  now 
completed,  was  lighted  up,  and  threw  its  glowing  light  far 
over  the  scene  below,  showing  the  inhabitants  below  there 
was  a  brighter  world  above,  and  the  way  to  it. 

At  length  I  turned  to  leave  the  library,  and  said  to  my 
son  as  I  did  so,  "This,  Master  Sam,  is  where  you  pursue 


*  He  died  more  than  twenty-five  years  ago,  in  the  third  year  of  his 
and  was  now  grown  to  manhood. 


312  SPIRITUALISM. 

your  studies  till  I  come  ?"  He  replied,  "  Yes,  father,  but  I 
do  not  study  the  same  books  you  did.  Yours  had  too  much 
of  man  in  them ;  mine  have  more  of  God." 

After  we  passed  down  the  stairs,  my  wife  led  me  through 
her  bedroom  to  the  piazza.  I  pointed  to  my  military 
badges,  and  told  her  I  must  say  to  her  as  Bacon  had  once 
said  to  me,  "Don't  remind  me  of  my  earthly  absurdities." 
"  Yes,"  was  her  reply  ;  "  but  the  propensities  which  took 
that  form  in  your  youth,  now  properly  directed,  enable 
you  to  fight  the  battle  of  truth  so  well ;"  and  she  asked  me 
if  I  remembered  the  story  of  two  brothers  which  many 
years  ago  I  had  read  to  her?  and  said,  "  That  is  the  differ- 
ence between  giving  to  our  faculties  a  proper  and  an  im- 
proper direction." 

She  left  me  at  the  entrance  to  her  grounds,  and  the  pre- 
siding spirit,  taking  me  by  the  arm,  walked  down  the  path 
with  me,  and  said  to  me,  "You  now  see  how  the  conscious- 
ness of  doing  good  can  obliterate  the  record  of  evil.  Go  on 
as  you  have  begun,  and  perhaps  even  before  you  shall  have 
left  the  earthly  form,  that  room  may  be  fitted  for  the  resi- 
dence of  a  pure  spirit.  I  am  not  unconscious  of  what  you 
have  written  to-day.  Continue  so.  Forget  ever  yourself, 
and  think  only  of  the  cause,  for  in  the  cause  is  involved 
the  good  of  others.  And  now,  farewell,  till  we  meet  again, 
and  that  will  be  soon." 


SPIRITUALISM.  313 


tttm  C|irtg-se{ren. 


Thursday,  Nov.  24,  1853. 

The  circle  met  this  evening.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sweet  were  absent,  and 
two  friends  from  the  Shaker  Society  of  New  Lebanon  were  present. 
After  a  few  words  of  a  private  nature,  it  was  written : 

For  a  moment  let  me  attempt  to  instruct  you  on  certain 
matters  in  respect  to  which  you  seem  not  to  have  a  per- 
fectly clear  opinion. 

It  certainly  can  not  be  the  case  that  any  member  of  this 
circle  has  professed  such  a  belief  in  spiritual  teachings, 
that  what  they  have, learned  should  in  any  way  affect  the 
existing  relations  of  life,  other  than  that  they  have  afforded 
you  a  clear  idea  of  your  duties,  and  that  they  have  incul- 
cated a  higher  standard  of  love  to  God  and  to  man. 

For  what  purpose  has  God  created  man,  organized  his 
material  part,  and  mingled  with  this  organic  creation  an 
essence,  a  spirit-portion,  which  is  to  live  after  the  primitive 
body  shall  have  passed  into  the  matter  out  of  which  it  was 
fashioned  ? 

The  body  of  man  is  familiar  to  your  senses,  and  the 
constituents  out  of  which  it  is  composed  have  been  so  an- 
alyzed by  man,  that  even  the  most  minute  particle  has  been 
made  as  plain  as  the  whole  person. 

But  the  soul  still  remains  a  mj^stery,  notwithstanding  all 
that  has  been  taught  you  of  its  powers,  its  capacities,  and 
its  relationship  with  its  Creator. 

Can  it  be  possible  that  I  should  be  able  to  convey  to 
your  minds  an  adequate  idea  of  what  it  is  and  the  part 
which  it  is  to  perform  in  its  ultimate  existence  ?  I  know 
that  what  I  am  this  night  discussing  has  been  the  earnest 


314  SPIRITUALISM. 

tliought,,of  many  of  your  circle,  and  I  feel  that  it  may  be 
this  earnest  desire  to  penetrate  still  further  into  the  mys- 
teries of  spirit  that  has  induced  me  to  take  that  for  my 
subject  to-night.  Dimly  as  I  shall  be  able  to  shadow  to 
you  the  ideas  which  are  my  own,  still  I  do  hope  that  what 
I  say  may  afford  content  at  least  to  your  minds  for  the 
present,  if  it  does  not  present  an  entire  solution  of  your 
inquiries. 

The  soul,  then,  as  you  have  learned,  is  a  part  of  the  God 
himself,  and  it  is  not  an  arbitrary  creation,  but  springs 
spontaneously  forth  to  fill  up  that  connection  with  one 
part  of  creation,  as  much  as  the  whole  cause  is  manifest 
in  the  universe  itself.  By  this  spontaneous  emanation  it 
receives  and  retains  its  individuality,  and  is  more  or  less 
affected  by  the  organization  with  which  it  is  blended.  The 
soul  is  a  God  of  itself,  for  it  possesses  the  power  of  gene- 
rating thought,  creating  out  of  that  thought  the  tangible 
evidences  of  its  power.  But  not  creating  itself,  it  is  under 
the  laws  instituted  by  the  source  from  which  it  sprung.  As 
it  is  an  emanation  from  the  God,  it  possesses  much  of  its 
nature,  and  it  is  only  its  admixture  with  matter  that  pre- 
vents its  manifesting  the  attributes  which  such  an  origin 
has  conferred  on  it.  Its  present  destiny  is  to  assist  in  the 
development  of  itself  in  its  combination,  and  also  in  the 
perfection  of  that  matter  with  which  it  is  combined ;  for 
as  God,  in  his  connection  with  the  matter  he  has  evolved 
from  nothing,  is  continually  speeding  it  to  its  develop- 
ment, so  man's  spirit,  in  his  present  relation  with  matter, 
is  continually  assisting  the  body  to  assume,  under  the  laws 
of  God,  that  condition  which  will  enable  that  spirit  to 
manifest  its  powers  and  faculties  in  a  greater  degree,  and 
also  to  contribute,  by  this  development  of  the  perfect  body 
of  man,  a  true  appreciation  of  all  the  influence  of  those 
laws,  and  thus  to  institute  in  this  w^orld  a  system  of  per- 
fect harmony  of  material  action. 

I  do  not  believe,  strictly  speaking,  that  this  kind  of 
teaching  is  of  the  most  profitable  kind  for  your  minds,  for, 


SPIRITUALISM.  315 

say  what  I  might,  there  would  be  a  mystery  still  surround- 
ing the  subject  which  can  not  be  unfolded  until  your  spirits 
see  the  dawning  of  that  eternity,  the  sun  of  which  is  spirit, 
and  whose  countless  constellations  are  spirit's  spirit.  But 
I  wish  to  make  a  few  suggestions  only,  that  I  m*ay  afford 
some  idea  which  will  content  your  minds  to  wait  until  the 
dawning  of  that  glorious  day  shall  afford  to  your  spirits' 
view  the  positive  demonstration  of  that  reality,  the  im- 
perfect idea  alone  of  which  you  can  now  appreciate.  Thus, 
then,  in  its  material  connection,  the  spirit  assists  in  the  es- 
tablishing of  a  material  harmony,  by  which  creation  will 
be  advanced,  and  by  which  the  spirit  can  better  understand 
its  true  and  ultimate  destiny. 

For  when  every  material  thing,  and  especially  man's 
own  material  part,  is  in  such  exact  harmonic  relation  and 
action  that  no  impression  on  his  senses  is  unjust  or  untrue, 
then  he  can  better  understand  the  moral  laws  of  God,  Und 
can,  by  this  harmony  of  action,  the  more  perfectly  develop 
those  properties  which  will  produce  that  state  of  existence 
where  love  will  reign  supreme  and  God  be  acknowledged 
over  all. 

Admitting  this,  what  then  is  his  destiny  after  the  spirit's 
separation  from  matter?  Were  there  no  impediments,  in 
consequence  of  the  inharmonious  action  of  the  material 
body  of  man,  the  spirit,  taking  from  earth  but  little,  if  any 
impurity,  would,  as  soon  as  it  leaves  the  body,  assume  that 
position  in  the  spheres  which  it  now  reaches  by  a  long 
course  of  progression  and  development.  It  would  imme- 
diately assume  those  distinct  duties  which  it  is  required 
now  to  perform  only  after  years  of  study,  thought,  and  a 
persistent  adherence  to  those  divine  laws  which  develop 
its  true  nature  and  attributes.  But  now,  as  you  well  un- 
derstand, its  condition  is  one  of  progression,  and  it  lingers 
by  the  way  to  rid  itself  of  those  evils  which  its  association 
with  the  body  has  created. 

The  ultimate  destiny  of  the  soul  is  to  assist  God  in  the 
administration  of  his  laws,   and  to  people  those  worlds 


316  SPIRITUALISM. 

rolling  in  space  so  far  beyond  the  reach  of  man's  compre- 
hension that  I  conld  not  describe  them  were  I  to  attempt. 
Its  ultimate  destiny  is  to  arrive  at  that  state  of  intellectual 
power  and  greatness  that  it  can  aid  in  carrying  on  the 
operations  of  the  millions  on  millions  of  worlds,  and  to 
teach  the  incalculable  number  of  spirits,  born  and  unborn 
into  the  spirit-world,  their  own  nature,  and  the  position 
which  they  too  are  to  occupy. 

This  destiny  comprehends  every  thing  which  you  can 
understand  of  truth,  holiness,  love,  knowledge,  and  more, 
much  more,  than  I  can  tell  you.  I  have  merely  stated 
what  I  understand  as  fact,  and  I  also  understand  that  in 
addition  to  what  I  here  have  stated,  there  is  a  degree  of 
happiness  and  glory  and  other  duties  which  I  am  not  yet 
able  to  comprehend.  But  as  the  spirit  arrives  at  that  state 
it  occupied  when  thrown  oif  from  the  Godhead,  it  then  is 
invested  with  certain  attributes,  of  which  no  spirit  here 
can  give  you  any  knowledge. 

But  after  all  that  I  have  said,  no  finite  mind  could  com- 
prehend the  whole  destiny  of  spirit,  even  if  it  were  told  it 
in  plain,  distinct  terms  ;  for,  if  we  can  not  comprehend 
what  that  condition  must  be  after  the  spirit  has  arrived  at 
the  point  at  which  it  was  disintegrated  from  the  parent 
source,  how  can  you  realize  what  that  destiny  can  be  ?  It 
therefore  may  be  sufficient  for  us  all  to  know,  that  when 
the  soul  is  conscious  that  it  has  assisted  an  erring  spirit  to 
progress ;  when  it  is  conscious  that  it  has  contributed  to 
foster  in  the  human  heart  that  desire  to  progress  which 
will  impel  it  onward  to  eternity  and  purity ;  when  it  is 
conscious  that  it  has  sustained  the  sinking  courage  ;  when 
it  has  sacrificed  its  own  desires  to  aid  another's  aspirations ; 
and  when  it  has  yielded  to  the  law  of  love,  and  for  that 
love  forgiven  all  wrongs  against  itself,  and  has  loved  the 
very  hand  or  mind  which  has  done  that  wrong ;  when  it 
has  felt  its  own  nature,  like  the  God  from  whom  it  sprung, 
impel  it  to  clasp  once  again  the  weak,  the  erring,  the  very 
wicked  of  its  kind  and  say,  "Brother,  go  with  me;"  when 


SPIRITUALISM.  317 

it  shall,  even  if  it  costs  it  a  pang,  confer  one  happiness  on 
a  human  heart,  then  it  may  know,  despite  all  reasoning, 
despite  all  theories,  despite  all  self-intentions,  that  it  is  in- 
deed progressing  toward  that  state,  where  its  ultimate  des- 
tiny will  be  to  shed  abroad  on  all  around  those  very  attri- 
butes of  happiness  which  it  so  keenly  appreciates,  for  he 
who  confers  by  love,  happiness  on  others,  can  by  that  very 
love  enjoy  above  his  kind  that  true  happiness  which  comes 
direct  from  God.  Bacon. 

I  was  then  impressed,  and  had  this 

VISION. 

.  I  was  in  the  scene  where  I  had  been  so  often,  and  was 
approaching  the  fountain.  As  I  did  so,  the  presiding 
spirit,  taking  me  by  the  arm,  said,  "ISTow  go  with  me,  I 
will  lead  you  to  new  scenes.  Are  you  capable,"  he  said, 
closely  scanning  me,  "  of  bearing  the  sight?   We  will  see." 

So  I  passed  with  him,  gliding  rapidly  to  quite  a  distance 
to  the  mountain  with  its  golden  light,  which  I  have  men- 
tioned. Here  we  ascended  a  flight  of  steps  cut  in  the 
rock.  It  was  a  laborious,  toilsome  ascent,  and  as  I  arose, 
I  had  a  view  of  the  plane  which  I  had  just  left,  and  of  the 
second  and  third  below  it,  each  elevation  that  I  attained 
seeming  to  expand  my  view. 

At  the  head  of  the  steps  was  a  gateway  or  entrance 
flanked  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  precipice  with  a  round 
tower,  from  whose  summit  hung  in  easy  folds  a  flag. 
From  the  entrance  streamed  far  into  the  distance  a  flood 
of  golden  light,  as  if  the  place  was  overflowing  full  of  it, 
and  it  was  gushing  out  to  light  up  all  it  could  reach.  We 
began  to  ceme  within  its  influence  ere  we  gained  the  sum- 
mit, but  when  we  attained  the  entrance  and  became  envel- 
oped in  it,  it  produced  a  singular  feeling,  which  I  experi- 
enced even  physically  while  I  was  describing  the  scene, 
and  which  thrilled  me  with  love  and  happiness,  and  I  ex- 
claimed, "  If  this  is  a  specimen^  then  there  is  indeed  a  hap- 
piness in  the  spirit-life  of  which  we  have  had  no  concep- 


318  SPIRITUALISM. 

tion.  If  such  is  the  effect  on  me  just  entering  there,  what 
must  it  be  on  its  residents  ?" 

I  can  not  describe  the  scene  which  opened  to  my  view. 
It  was  filled  as  far  as  my  eye  could  reach,  with  a  mellow, 
golden  light  mingled  and  fringed  with  a  rosy  hue.  Imag- 
ine the  most  gorgeous,  and  beautiful,  and  variegated  gar- 
den ever  pictured  in  Eastern  fable ;  take  the  most  beautiful 
scenic  representation  of  our  theaters,  multiply  them  a 
million  times,  and  you  can  scarcely  conceive  the  reality 
that  was  before  me.  What  happiness  to  be  there !  And 
yet  I  saw  higher  elevations  still  in  the  distance.  It  seemed 
to  me  impossible  there  could  be  higher  conditions  of  beauty 
and  happiness  than  the  scene  before  me.  Yet  there  were, 
f6r  I  saw  them. 

Every  thing  was  so  full  of  joy  and  gladness.  Look  where 
I  might,  I  saw  it ;  among  birds,  beasts,  plants,  man  ;  all — 
all  were  full  of  it,  overflowing  with  it.  I  saw  innumerable 
spirits  moving  about ;  some  in  shady  bowers,  some  sitting 
beside  a  murmuring  brook,  some  reclining  on  beds  of 
flowers,  some  floating  as  it  were  on  the  perfume  and  drink- 
ing it  in,  some  sauntering  around  sparkling  fountains 
whose  waters  were  of  different  colors,  some  strolling  in 
the  smooth  walks  in  pairs  and  in  groups,  lovingly  clinging 
to  each  other.  I  saw  no  one  alone.  No  sad  recluse  har- 
bored there,  but  each  one's  happiness  was  in  that  of  others. 
Interspersed  amid  the  flowers  and  shrubbery  were  many 
statues.  But  I  can  not  describe  the  infinite  variety  of  beau- 
tiful objects  before  me.  I  stood  and  gazed  with  solemn 
awe. 

Ever  and  anon  as  I  gazed  around  me,  I  saw  in  the  dis- 
tance, his  head  shining  like  a  blazing  sun,  but  with  a  mel- 
lower light,  the  presiding  spirit  of  that  community,  and  I 
learned  from  my  guide  that  all  the  spirits  I  saw  around  me, 
and  many  others  not  then  there,  had  duties  elsewhere,  and 
here  assembled  only  in  the  pauses  of  their  toil.  They  were 
constantly  coming  and  going,  and  this  waS  their  relaxation 
only. 


SPIRITUALISM.  '      319 

The  spirits  around  me  perceived  me,  and  saw  my  emo- 
tion. Some  encouraged  me,  some  smiled  pleasantly  at  my 
embarrassment,  and  some  beckoned  me  to  enter,  and  at 
length  I  approached  that  presiding  spirit.  He  was  of 
gigantic  proportions,  and  sat  upon  a  throne  which  seemed 
to  rest  on  banks  of  clouds.  He  was  enveloped  in  a  halo 
of  that  glorious  mellow  light,  and  sat  in  an  erection  some- 
thing like  a  niche  with  its  statute.  The  beauty  of  his 
throne  I  can  not  describe.  It  was  enameled  white,  and  or- 
namented with  gold  and  blue.  Great  numbers  of  spirits 
were  on  each  side,  and  behind  and  over  him.  In  front  of 
him  it  was  vacant.  I  was  led  up  to  him — not  directly  in 
front,  for  I  could  not  bear  his  dazzling  brightness. 

He  said  to  me,  "  Is  it  difficult  for  you  to  conceive  a 
condition  of  man  so  superior  to  your  mortal  existence  ? 
Know  that  we  have  only  entered  on  the  threshold  of  that 
eternity  of  love  and  happiness  which  is  your  destiny.  The 
difference  between  you  and  the  merest  atom  of  inanimate 
matter  from  which  you  have  been  developed  is  but  a  step 
— though  a  step  of  ages — a  feeble,  halting,  crippled  step  in 
that  eternity.  See  to  what  you  may  attain  !  Is  it  not  im- 
portant you  should  understand  how  to  attain  it,  so  as  to 
hasten  your  progress,  and  not  retard  it  ?  That  knowledge 
is  now  proffered  you ;  are  you  prepared  to  receive  it  ?  It 
would  have  been  in  vain  to  have  proffered  it  to  inanimate 
matter,  to  the  vegetable,  to  the  unreasoning  animal,  or 
even  to  the  reasoning  animal,  man,  until  in  his  progress  he 
had  attained  the  capacity  to  comprehend  it.  Are  you  yet 
at  that  point,  or  must  tlie  lesson  so  often  attempted  to  be 
taught  to  man  be  again  abandoned  for  a  fitter  season  ? 
Must  they  who  can  be  used  as  the  instruments  of  convey- 
ing that  knowledge  to  man  be  again,  as  they  so  often  have 
been,  done  to  death  for  that  cause  ?  Is  man  ready  yet 
again  to  strike  the  hand  that  is  outstretched  to  lift  him  up, 
or  will  he  grasp  it  with  some  appreciation  of  the  infinite  love 
it  proffers  ?  Is  man  yet  so  enveloped  in  his  material  gar- 
ment, that  the  light  of  Heaven's  love  can  not  penetrate  it  ? 


320  SPIKITUALISM. 

Is  his  heart  so  hardened  with  self,  that  even  Heaven's  pu- 
rity can  not  soften  it  ?  Is  he  so  wedded  to  his  animal  pro- 
pensities, that  even  angels'  voices  fall  silent  upon  his  ear  ? 
Is  lie  like  the  earth  from  which  he  sprung,  dead  to  the 
voice  of  that  love  with  which  heaven  echoes  now  and  for- 
ever? 

"Oh!  how. long!  how  anxiously !  how  lovingly  have  we 
waited  to  see  him  arrive  at  that  condition  when  he  could 
comprehend  the  love  that  was  so  ready  to  embrace  him ! 
Shall  we  wait  yet  longer?  Are  we  doomed  yet  again  to 
turn  sadly  away,  frustrated  in  our  efforts,  disappointed  in 
our  hopes  of  his  redemption?  Must  we  yet  behold  him, 
like  a  worm,  still  grovel  in  the  dust  from  which  he  sprung  j 

"O!  bethink  you!  It  is  the  Spirit  of  God  himself 
which  you  thus  by  your  evil  propensities  chain  darkly  to 
the  earth.  It  is  his  Spirit  of  eternal  life  spoken  into  your 
being  which  you  thus  bury  beneath  the  mountain  load  of 
your  material  passions.  O  !  bethink  you !  It  is  the  im- 
mortal spirit  of  love  pervading  all  the  universe  which  you 
thus  smother  in  the  dark  atmosphere  yourselves  create. 

"  Rise,  then,  O  man  Lazarus !  and  come  forth  and  step 
from  the  grave  into  which  ignorance  and  bigotry  have 
thrust  you.  Walk  forth  in  the  image  of  a  living  soul 
brightened  by  the  immortal  spark  which  is  from  the  eter- 
nal sun,  and  to  him.  Come  forth  from  the  dark  tomb  to 
which  you  have  consigned  yourself,  and  come  to  the  arms 
of  the  bright  and  the  pure,  which  are  outstretched  in  love 
to  embrace  you. 

"And  oh!  could  you  but  know  the  thrill  of  glad  joy 
which  you  could  cast  through  heaven's  vast  mansions  by 
your  response — could  you  but  hear  the  shouts  of  rejoicing 
that  would  hail  your  reply — could  you  but  know  the  hap- 
piness you  would  confer  on  the  countless  multitudes  above 
you,  who  have  mourned  your  darkness,  and  who  would 
hail  your  ascent  from  its  gloom,  you  would  not  pause  in 
your  efforts  to  share  it,  or  repel  the  Saviour  which  thus 
again  comes  to  redeem  you. 


SPIRITUALISM.  321 

"  Say  this  much,  O  mortal !  to  thy  weak  and  erring  fel- 
lows— speak  to  them  with  the  trumpet-tongue  of  Truth — 
speak  to  them  Heaven's  own  teachings,  and  thou  wilt  yet 
find  deep  buried  in  the  darkest  and  hardest  heart  a  voice 
that  will  answer,  for  it  is  the  Spirit  of  God  that  slumbers 
there." 

He  leaned  forward  when  he  had  said  this,  and  pressed 
his  lips  to  my  forehead.  "  Go  forth,"  he  said,  "  with  the 
seal  of  Heaven  on  thy  brow,  and  beware  that  thou  taint  not 
its  brightness  by  aught  of  earth's  impurity,  for  of  him  to 
whom  much  is  given,  much  shall  be  required." 

Previous  to  his  beginning  to  speak,  the  whole  of  that 
great  crowd  of  spirits  was  moving  about,  talking,  laugh- 
ing, etc.,  but  while  he  spoke  there  was  a  holy  calm,  a  per- 
fect silence  resting  on  the  scene.  Joyhood  ceased  its  laugh, 
the  brook  staid  its  murmur,  and  even  the  leaf  which  had 
rustled  in  the  breeze  was  still.  But  when  he  ceased,  there 
arose  from  that  bright  host  a  joyous  shout  saying,  "O 
man !  man  !  weak  and  erring  man !  know  that  thy  Ke- 
deemer  still  livetii." 

The  sound  of  that  shout  floated  softly  on  my  ear,  and 
seemed  to  bear  me  away  on  its  wings,  and  so  I  departed. 

21 


322  SPIBITUALISM, 


Setti0n  CJirtg-ng|t. 


Monday^  November  28th^  1853. 
At  the  circle  at  the  Doctor'Sj  through  him  it  was  written : 

"When,  after  a  shower,  the  sun  has  broken  forth  from 
the  clouds,  and  every  blossom  and  flower,  every  tree  and 
shrub,  rejoice  in  the  invigorating  fi^shness  of  nature  re- 
stored, there  still  lingers  around  the  mountain's  top  the 
mists  which  conceal  it  from  view. 

The  broad  earth,  clad  in  its  robe  of  green,  laughs  out  in 
its  renewed  strength  its  grateful  praise ;  for  the  rich  sus- 
tenance which  comes  from  above,  and  the  woods,  which 
clothe  the  high  ascent  to  the  mountain's  summit,  give  forth 
their  rich  incense  of  nature's  perfume,  their  meed  of  thanks 
for  the  boon  bestowed.  But  there  hang  these  dark  clouds, 
like  a  huge  mantle,  shrouding  from  below  the  gloomy 
rocks  and  the  jutting  precipices,  as  if  all  indeed  there  was 
storm  and  night.  So,  too,  the  world — so,  too,  man.  "When 
to  his  mind,  truth,  like  the  grateful  shower,  comes  laden 
with  the  rich  attributes  of  good,  and  every  token  is  fraught 
with  love  and  happiness,  there  stands  aloof,  invested  with 
the  cloudy  darkness  of  prejudice  or  error,  the  stern  and 
unyielding  determination  of  his  will.  "When  has  there 
been  vouchsafed  to  human  mind  a  greater  lesson  than  na- 
ture everywhere  presents?  "When  has  God's  wisdom  as- 
sumed a  more  benignant  form  than  w^hen  he  has  offered  to 
his  mind  the  simple  analogy  of  his  love  and  power  in  the 
crudest  work  of  his  hands  ?  It  is  not  in  those  glorious 
manifestations  of  his  Almighty  power,  or  in  the  terrific  ex- 
hibitions of  his  awful  grandeur,  that  man  is  to  learn  how   ^. 


SPIRITUALISM.  323 

closely  connected  lie  is  with  him,  the  Infinite !  the  Incom- 
prehensible !  It  is  not  when  the  ocean  is  lashed  in  fury  in 
a  storm,  its  huge  billows  upheaving  their  mighty  crests, 
and,  answering  back  in  their  surge  heaven's  artillery,  or  in 
their  maddened  plunge  sweeping  a^j^ay  the  works  of  man — 
ay !  and  of  nature,  too,  or  in  the  lightning's  flash,  shiver- 
ing the  rocks,  or  giving  to  the  storm  and  the  whirlwind 
the  sublime  and  awful  aspect  of  nature  warring  with  her- 
self, that  we  are  to  be  convinced  that  God  is  mighty  in 
power,  inconceivable  in  majesty  ! 

1^0 ;  all  these  exhibitions  of  the  terrible  attributes  by 
which  God  governs  the  world  he  has  created,  cause  the 
soul  to  shrink  within  itself,  and  tremble  in  its  utter  help- 
lessness ;  they  terrify,  they  paralyze.  But  when  the  hum- 
ble flower  opens  its  purple  leaves  to  the  morning  sun,  and 
exhibits  nature's  jewels  in  the  dew  which  glistens  in  its 
rays,  the  soul  of  man  can  realize  the  glory  of  the  Deity, 
the  love  which  fashioned  it,  and  can,  without  fear,  look 
through  nature  up  to  nature's  God.  My  friends,  'tis  the 
silent  workings  of  the  spirit  which  is  the  labor  of  progres- 
sion. While  heaven  can  not  be  taken  by  a  coup  de  main, 
so  the  spirit  can  not  be  stormed  into  a  belief.  The  mind, 
in  search  after  truth,  must  be  free  to  elect,  must  be  inde- 
pendent in  its  choice ;  but  it  requires  no  force  to  precip- 
itate it  into  goodness.  Let,  therefore,  the  eternal  truths 
which  we  attempt  to, teach  you  yield  their  rich  influence 
in  the  effect  which  is  perceptible  in  your  acts,  and  learn 
that  in  the  charitable  considerations  with  which  you  view 
man  in  all  his  actions,  is  the  seat  of  your  progress.  I  re- 
joice once  more  to  meet  with  you — to  look  around  on 
your  familiar  faces,  and  to  feel  the  chord  of  true  affec- 
tion vibrate  in  unison  with  my  own  spirit ;  and  I  am  happy 
to  say  that  I  shall  again  have  the  pleasure  of  teaching  you 
for  some  time  to  come ;  and  I  trust  that  even  I  shall  have 
the  great  joy,  when  I  shall  meet  you  face  to  face  in  the 
spheres,  when  you  shall  know  whether  I  have  taught  ybu 
truth  or  falsehood ;  and  when  wending  our  way  together 


324:  SPIEITUALISM. 

toward  the  incompreliensible  glories  of  the  higher  spheres, 
my  spirit  shall  see  your  spirits  face  to  face.  Then,  yes, 
oh !  then  may  it  be  my  great  joy  to  say,  "  My  son !  my 
daughter!"  and  to  hear  you  respond,  "My  father !"  "Yes," 
then  shall  I  say,  "your  father  am  I — your  spiritual  guide 
toward  truth ;  but  there  is  one  greater  than  I  who  is  the 
truth,  who  is  love — he  is  your  Father  and  mine,  for  he  is 

God."  SWEEDENBOKG. 

Then,  after  a  pause,  it  was  further  written : 

The  study  of  mind,  in  its  various  manifestations,  is  one 
of  the  most  curious  and  wondrous  subjects  of  investigation 
ever  presented  to  the  human  intellect ;  and  the  phenomena 
it  offers,  the  remarkable  phases  it  presents,  are  very  like 
the  kaleidoscope,  which,  every  turn  it  makes,  represents 
new  combinations  of  colors  and  new  forms  of  arrangement. 

But  the  most  interesting  part  of  this  inexplicable  m3^s- 
tery  is  the  effect  of  mental  conclusion  on  action,  and  the 
causes  which  induce  conclusion,  operating  by  its  own  force, 
or  arising  from  its  prejudices. 

That  every  mind  arrives  at  the  same  result  from  the  same 
impression  no  one  believes,  or  at  least  admits  ;  but  when 
the  mind,  really  desirous  of  arriving  at  truth,  is  so  deter- 
mined to  act  independently  of  that  which  in  another  mind 
absolutely  arrives  at  the  same  result,  it  is  indeed  as  strange 
as  it  is  peculiar.  There  is  something  in  the  independent 
action  of  mind  searching  for  truth,  and  that  kind  of  truth, 
too,  which  brings  permanent  satisfaction,  that  inspires  man 
everywhere  with  respect.  Regardless  of  the  sarcasms  and 
censures  of  the  world,  it  moves  onward  in  its  research,  in- 
tent upon  the  object  it  has  in  view.  There  is  a  moral  sub- 
limity investing  an  individual  resting  on  the  consciousness 
of  his  own  purity  when  he  breaks  away  from  the  trammels 
of  society  and  dares  to  think  and  act  for  himself.  A  mind 
like  this  emulates  the  Creator,  for  it  generates  in  itself  its 
principles  of  action,  and  is  governed  by  causes  of  its  own 
creation.     It  is  bound  by  no  form  or  doctrine,  and  its  ideas 


SPIRITUALISM.  325 

are  universal,  for  it  sees  in  all  things  the  universal  appli- 
cation to  all  conditions  of  things  and  men  a  universality 
of  action  induced  by  a  compliance  with  the  laws  of  God. 

Such  a  mind  makes  its  impress  whenever  it  comes  in 
contact  with  mind,  and  gives  an  impetus  to  thought  which 
is  hindered  by  no  barrier  but  its  incapacity  to  think  ;  but 
when  this  mind,  free  in  every  element  of  greatness  and  no- 
bility of  purpose,  motive,  and  action,  manifests  its  inability 
to  grant  to  another  mind  the  same  privileges  itself  assumes, 
it  exhibits  the  taint  with  which  mind  is  encumbered  when 
it  is  conj&ned  by  its  mortal  connections. 

Why  should  this  mind  open  intuitively  to  the  freedom 
which  God  has  bestowed  on  the  thought?  Why  should 
this  mind,  appreciating  all  that  is  good,  pure,  and  holy, 
and  acting  in  concert  with  these  mighty  principles,  disre- 
gard the  mind  which  claims  affinity  by  its  aspirations,  and 
in  its  acts  and  prejudices  assume  that  it  can  not  compre- 
Jiend  the  other  ?  Why,  by  act,  send  the  trembling  hope 
back  on  itself  and  cloud  the  visions  which  that  hope  has 
called  up  ?  Why  seek  not  to  know  the  earnest  efforts  of 
the  other  to  understand  the  way  by  which  it  has  climbed 
to  its  elevated  condition  ? 

Why  lavish  on  minds  whose  surface  alone  reflects  the 
image  of  the  deep  emotions  which  move  the  very  depth  of 
the  other  ?  Why  crush  the  dawning  truths  and  pure  aspi- 
rations which  soon  would  lead  sentiment  to  associate  with 
sentiment,  and  establish  a  concord  as  harmonious  as  it  will 
be  lasting  ?  Why  say  to  itself,  I  can  give  to  you  my  re- 
spect, but  beyond  this  I  can  not  go  ?  Who  has  limited  the 
longing  desire  itself  has  felt  for  truth  ?  Who  has  barred  up 
its  own  passage  to  a  higher  and  better  elevation?  Who 
has  said  thou  shalt  not  understand  those  laws  which  will 
bring  peace  and  knowledge  to  your  spirit,  and  who  EUs 
dared  to  say  thou  shalt  not  understand  thy  connection  with 
thy  God?  In  all  this  it  has  felt  the  assistance  of  those 
mighty  harmonies  which  have  established  laws  and  given 
birth  to  principles.     Searching  for  light,  it  has  penetrated 


326  SPIRITUALISM. 

the  infinite  darkness  with  which  a  thousand  causes  have 
shrouded  mind,  and  has  found  light,  at  last,  beaming  upon 
itself  in  a  flood  of  glorious  radiance. 

Bej^ond  this  world  it  has  sought  and  found  the  same 
affinities  which  another  mind  now  seeks  to  obtain,  and  it 
has  had  the  freedom  of  unlimited  converse  with  all  God's 
laws,  divine  and  physical,  as  the  guerdon  of  its  courage. 
But  shall  mind,  thus  enlightened  by  truth,  refuse  that  same 
light  to  another?  Shall  the  affections  and  sentiments  be 
coldly  looked  on  when  the  unutterable  longing  for  com- 
panionship is  manifest  by  the  similarity  of  its  desires  ? 
"No.  Whatever  influences  may  thus  mark  the  true  efforts 
of  its  own  researches  here,  the  future  will  place  together 
on  one  plane  mind  with  mind  that  asks  for,  that  desires 
truth.  ISTo  unkind  relatives  shall  then  interrupt  the  har- 
monious flow  of  the  same  hopes  and  wishes  for  the  good, 
the  pure,  the  holy.  ISTo  prejudices  or  impressions  of  years 
shall  prevent  these  two  spirits  from  being  bound  together 
by  the  same  motives.  No  transient  thought  of  what  may 
be  the  beautiful,  the  sublime,  the  awful  unfoldings  of  truth 
itself  shall  then  interfere  with  the  same  pursuits  and  the 
same  objects. 

Mind,  thus  acted  on  and  thus  acting,  is  the  same  in  the 
destiny  which  their  desires  will  insure,  and  as  one,  yet  in- 
dependent, they  will  wend  their  way  till  the  time  when  the 
fulfillment  of  their  earthly  struggles  is  accomplished. 

Bacon. 


gpiBiTUALisu:.  827 


nihu  f^irtg-nint 


Monday,  Dec.  5,  1853. 
The  circle  met  at  Dr.  Dexter's.     Through  me  this  vision  was  given : 

VISION. 

I  SAW  a  spirit  standing  erect  in  a  chariot,  to  which  horses 
seemed  to  be  harnessed.  He  was  holding  the  reins  in  one 
hand  and  in  the  other  brandishing  a  javelin.  He  was  driv- 
'  ing  through  the  darkness  of  space.  The  chariot  and  horses 
were  of  a  silver  color,  set  out  by  the  dark  background. 
He  was  moving  swiftly  through  space  and  leaving  a  train 
of  light  behind  him.  He  was  followed  by  a  great  number 
of  spirits  not  quite  as  bright  as  he  was.  They,  too,  passed 
along  with  great  velocity,  apparently  very  intent  on  some 
object  in  the  distance.  Ere  long  I  saw  them  arrive  at  the 
object  of  their  pursuit. 

It  was  a  wonderful  sight,  and  opened  to  me  new  views 
of  the  spirits'  power.  A  vast  nucleus  of  a  new  world  had 
been  formed,  evolved  out  into  the  regions  of  space,  and  it 
had  been  set  in  motion  in  its  appropriate  orbit.  It  had 
moved  in  that  orbit  long  enough  to  have  a  portion  of  its 
matter  condensed  in  the  center,  but  a  vast  amount  of  it 
still  remained  uncondensed. 

It  had  been  attended  in  its  course  by  those  spirits,  whose 
duty  it  was  to  see  to  its  proper  development,  and  all  had 
gone  on  well  for  ages,  while  a  new  world  was  thus  being 
formed  out  of  the  disjointed  matter  scattered  through  space ; 
but  now  it  had  met  with  some  disturbing  cause.  The 
spirits  attending  it  had  tried  to  counteract  the  tendencies 
of  that  disturbance.    They  had  occasionally  succeeded  in 


328  SPIRITUALISM. 

checking  it,  but  had  not  been  able  entirely  to  overcome  it. 
In  spite  of  all  their  efforts  it  had  gone  on  increasing  its  inhar- 
monious action,  so  that  when  I  approached  it,  it  presented 
the  wonderful  spectacle  of  a  world  raging,  as  it  were,  in 
a  furious  passion,  tearing  itself  to  pieces,  and  it  bid  fair  to 
be  scattered  in  broken  fragments  in  all  directions,  for  its 
parts  were  moving  with  immense  velocity  but  with  great 
irregularity. 

The  spirits  attendant  upon  that  world  were  very  active. 
I  saw  them  moving  from  place  to  place  seeking  to  over- 
come that  discord,  but  seeing  it  increase  upon  them  all 
the  time. 

The  spirit  whom  I  saw  in  the  chariot,  with  his  long 
train  of  attendants,  had  come  to  their  aid.  He  stopped, 
and  paused  to  look  upon  the  confusion  before  him.  Two 
or  three  of  the  spirits  belonging  to  that  world  came  out  to 
converse  with  him,  apparently  making  a  report  to  him. 
They  seemed  very  much  excited,  and  well  might  they  be  ! 
Large  masses,  vast  as  our  earth  and  our  moon,  were  hurled 
back  and  forth ;  some  were  dense  and  black,  others  lumin- 
ous and  lighted  up  by  the  burning  mass.  The  whole  were 
revolving  with  frightful  velocity,  and  every  now  and  then 
some  vast  mass  would  fly  off  from  the  center,  thrown  off 
by  the  centrifugal  power  into  the  nebulous  matter  which 
was  more  or  less  dense,  which  in  like  manner  was  disturb- 
ed by  their  passing  through  it,  and  thus  the  confusion  was 
constantly  augmented.  But  the  attractive  power  of  the 
dense  center  drew  those  masses  back  again,  and  they  fell 
back  into  the  burning  revolving  center  with  a  tremendous 
crash. 

This  was  frequently  occurring  with  vast  masses  of  the 
dense  matter,  varying  in  size,  in  density,  and  in  conditions 
of  ignition.  The  frightful  velocity  of  the  revolving  motion 
threw  them  off,  and  then  their  power  of  motion  was  re- 
sisted by  the  density  of  the  nebulous  matter  through  which 
they  were  passing,  and  was  finally  overcome  by  the  at- 
tractive power  of  the  mass  remaining  in  the  center,  thus 


S'PIKITUALISM.  ,  329 

again  forming  a  part  of  that  center  to  be  again  thrown  off, 
disturbing  and  deranging  all  the  nebulous  matter  by  their 
erratic  wanderings,  and  bidding  fair  to  resolve  that  form- 
ing world  back  into  its  original  condition  of  disjointed 
matter  wandering  through  space. 

The  spirits  in  attendance  on  that  world  were  engaged  in 
all  parts  of  it,  endeavoring  to  overcome  these  outbreaks 
and  reduce  its  matter  to  an  orderly  obeisance  to  the  laws 
which  were  developing  it.  Some,  more  venturous,  were  far 
down  among  the  burning  masses ;  and  as  I  observed  them, 
I  saw  one  spot  in  the  center  unlike  the  burning  masses 
which  I  had  seen  thus  thrown  off.  It  was  of  a  red,  flame- 
like color,  and  was  continually  moving  up  and  down,  like 
the  pieces  of  dirt  which  a  swiftly  moving  carriage- wheel 
will  throw  off  from  its  rim.  But  the  center  was  a  bright 
white  light,  and  did  not  partake  of  the  confusion  which 
pervaded  the  outer  masses,  though  it  was  revolving  on  its 
axis  with  inconceivable  velocity.  That  was  the  center  of 
the  nucleus,  and  its  light  was  produced  by  the  ignition 
caused  by  its  velocity.  The  attendant  masses  of  matter 
had  not  yet  acquired  the  same  velocity  of  revolution, 
though  they  revolved  around  the  same  center,  and  the 
consequence  was,  that  though  sometimes  they  were  absorb- 
ed into  the  center  and  acquired  its  motion,  at  other  times 
they  were  instantly  thrown  off,  again  to  return  to  the  cen- 
ter, drawn  by  its  attractive  power.  The  whole  world  thus 
revolving  before  me,  and  thus  disturbed  and  deranged, 
was  tens  of  thousands  of  miles  in  diameter,  and  thus  was 
I  permitted  to  see  man's  position  as  a  ministering  spirit  of 
the  Great  First  Cause,  executing  his  laws  amid  the  bound- 
less realms  of  space,  and  performing  his  will  in  developing 
from  disjointed  matter  new  worlds,  in  their  turn  to  be  peo- 
pled by  sentient  and  immortal  beings. 

I  saw  each  spirit  acting  in  his  sphere,  having  a  portion 
of  the  task  to  perform,  some  daringly  penetrating  even  to 
that  burning  center,  seeking  there,  at  the  very  seat  of  the 
disorder,  to  overcome  its  destructive  action  ;  others  at  the 


330  SPIRITUALISM. 

extremity  of  the  nebulous  matter  seeking  there  to  prevent 
its  being  thrown  beyond  the  redeeming  power  of  the  cen- 
tral attraction ;  and  others,  in  great  numbers,  in  various 
intermediate  positions,  essaying  to  enforce  the  law  which 
aimed  at  the  final  amalgamation  of  this  vast  mass  into  a 
well-organized  world,  in  its  turn  to  roll  on  its  course  amid 
the  countless  worlds  His  almighty  hand  has  fashioned. 
Each  acting  in  his  appropriate  sphere  had  something  to  do. 

I  saw  the  directing  spirit  first  order  the  spirits  who  were 
in  and  near  the  nucleus  to  withdraw  to  the  outer  edge  of 
the  nebulous  matter.  I  saw  them  coming  out  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  as  they  became  conscious  of  his  presence  and 
of  the  aid  at  hand,  their  excitement  subsided.  They  felt 
that  an  adequate  intelligence  was  with  them,  guiding  all 
things. 

He  next  directed  the  vast  concourse  that  had  accompa- 
nied him  to  join  with  and  assist  the  others,  and  I  saw  them 
proceeding  in  all  directions,  far  and  near,  to  execute  his 
bidding.  They  surrounded  that  immense  mass  of  nebulous 
matter  in  vast  numbers,  and,  at  an  appointed  signal,  with 
one  accord  pressed  in  toward  the  center.  And  I  soon  saw 
that  it  was  rapidly  decreasing  in  size,  and  its  material  was 
becoming  condensed.  This  outward  pressure  I  saw  began 
to  produce  an  efi'ect  on  the  center.  One  piece  after  another 
of  the  broken  fragments  which  had  been  hurled  off  and 
were  revolving  irregularly  around  the  common  center,  fell 
back  upon  and  darkened  its  brightness ;  as  they  fell,  some 
rebounded,  but  others  were  again  forced  down  upon  them, 
until  they  again  became  united  to  the  mass  of  which  they 
were  once  a  part.  And  all  this  under  the  influence  of  the 
united  pressure  of  that  host  of  disembodied  spirits,  who 
had  once  tenanted  mortal  forms  as  we  do. 

"What  imagination  could  have  conceived  that  this  was  a 
part  of  the  destiny  of  man  ? 

When  that  nebulous  matter  shall  become  a  world,  peo- 
pled as  is  this  earth,  and  its  inhabitants  shall  penetrate  its 
interior,  they  will  wonder  at  the  disarrangement  of  its 


SPIEITUALISM.  331 

strata  which  they  will  discover,  and  speculate  as  to  its 
causes.  Yet  how  simple,  how  natural  the  laws  which  have 
caused  it ! 

I  perceived  that  the  outer  parts  of  the  nucleus  had  a 
more  rapid  motion  than  the  center,  and  the  consequence 
was,  that  the  darker  masses,  which  had  at  length  adhered 
together,  became  also  ignited,  and  burned  with  a  brighter 
light,  their  rapidity  of  motion  causing  the  intense  ignition, 
and  I  saw  that  at  length  order  was  issuing  out  of  the  chaos 
I  had  witnessed,  and  that  all  was  coming  to  be  well  again. 

While  I  was  gazing  on  this  scene,  so  full  of  sublimity, 
so  novel,  so  grand,  so  Instructive  as  to  man's  destiny  here- 
after, the  directing  spirit  said  to  me,  "The  same  law  whose 
action  you  have  seen  here,  pervades  the  whole  created  uni- 
verse— man  as  well  as  matter,  and  matter  in  its  smallest 
atom  as  in  its  vast  aggregation  in  the  largest  world  that 
rolls  through  space. 

"To  the  intelligent  mind  there  is  no  mystery  in  this. 
You,  in  your  primary  existence,  at  times  see  the  elements 
breaking  away  from  the  domination  of  the  laws  established 
for  their  government.  You,  in  a  limited  mode,  with  your 
feeble  powers,  can  sometimes  bring  them  back,  and  you 
do  so  often  with  rock,  and  earth,  and  water,  and  this  which 
you  have  now  witnessed  is  only  a  manifestation  of  the 
same  law  on  a  broader  field.  Know  that  every  law  gov- 
erning the  universe  operates  as  much  in  an  atom  as  in  a 
world,  or  a  system  of  worlds,  as  much  in  your  earth  as  in 
the  countless  multitudes  of  worlds  that  people  the  immen- 
sity of  space.  You  here  behold  what  is  your  duty  and 
your  destiny  hereafter.  You  perceive  what  knowledge  is 
necessary  to  enable  you  to  perform  your  part  hereafter. 
You  now  know  that  the  knowledge  of  these  laws,  so  ne- 
cessary for  you,  can  be  attained  by  you  in  your  primary 
existence.  Their  great  principles  can  be  evolved  by  you 
from  the  earth  you  inhabit ;  and  in  your  primary  existence, 
by  studying  the  laws  of  the  nature  which  surrounds  you, 
you  can  fit  yourselves  to  be  of  His  ministering  spirits  who 


332  SPIRITUALISM. 

\ 

wield  this  vast  power  througliout  all  space  and  to  eternity. 
And  recollect,  tliose  laws  apply  to  man  as  well  as  matter, 
and  that  when  you  pass  from  one  stage  of  existence  to 
another  you  will  find  no  law  which  you  might  not  have 
learned  in  your  primary  condition.  For  the  Great  Creator 
governs  the  universe  by  immutable  laws  and  has  given  to 
man  the  capacity  to  understand  them. 

"The  means  we  have  now  used  have  been  to  give  proper 
action  and  play  to  the  primary  law  of  creation,  that  which, 
when  applied  to  matter  you  call  attraction,  and  when  ap- 
plied to  man  you  call  love.  That  is  the  great  principle 
which  pervades  the  whole  universe.  Its  action  is  some- 
times disturbed  in  man  as  well  as  matter.  Then  the  power 
of  His  ministering  servants  is  employed  to  restore  the  due 
operation  of  the  law. 

"  So  it  is  now  with  man  on  the  earth.  The  action  of  this 
law  has  been  disturbed  with  him.  Mankind,  instead  of 
being  one  harmonious  whole,  revolving  duly  and  orderly 
in  their  eternal  course,  are  disjointed  and  thrown  from 
their  proper  position  in  broken  fragments.  The  power  of 
the  spirit-world  is  brought  to  bear  to  remove  the  disturb- 
ing cause  with  you,  and  that  power  is  to  be  exerted,  not 
merely  by  the  bright  spirits  who  come  from  far-distant 
realms,  but  by  you,  too,  who  inhabit  its  broken  and  burning 
center.  The  spirits  whose  province  it  has  been  to  attend 
upon  your  earth,  and  see  to  the  due  operation  of  its  laws, 
have  long  struggled  in  vain  against  the  disturbing  causes 
which  have  made  mankind  a  black,  and  burning,  and  dis- 
jointed mass. 

"  The  Great  Spirit  of  Love  which  rules  all  things  has 
now  sent  to  their  aid  the  brighter  intelligences,  whose 
presence  has  hitherto  been  unknown  to  you.  The  task 
upon  which  they  have  entered  will  be  performed,  for  it  is 
easy  compared  with  that  which  you  have  beheld. 

"  Fear  not  for  the  result.  Go  forth  boldly  in  the  work 
which  you  have  begun,  and  in  times  long  hence  you  will 
look  upon  mankind  as  I  now  look  upon  this  world,  lately 


SPIEITUALISM.  333 

SO  disjointed,  moving  truly  on,  obedient  to  that  great  law 
of  attraction  which  will  yet  extract  from  the  confused 
mass  of  your  world  immortal  spirits,  moving  in  harmony 
with  and  obedient  to  the  laws  of  the  Great  Creator.  To 
him  be  your  thanks  paid.  To  him  lift  up  your  grateful 
hearts,  and  while  bowing  in  awe  before  his  might,  be  ye 
sure  that  his  love  is  almighty  to  save,  all  powerful  to  tri- 
umph over  sin  and  death." 


Stttion  Jfortj. 

Monday  Evening,  Dec.  12,  1853. 
This  eveningj  at  Dr.  Dexter's,  the  circle  met,  and  through  me  a  vision 
was  given. 

I  WAS  in  the  darker  regions  where  I  had  been  before,  but 
I  had  a  much  wider  and  more  extended  view,  and  saw  a 
vast  many  spirits.  They  were  uneasy,  and  wandering 
about  from  place  to  place,  never  contend  The  only  relief 
there  was  to  their  monotony  was  the  opportunity  occasion- 
ally enjoyed  of  tormenting  some  one. 

There' was  not  the  uniform  somber  look  to  the  atmo- 
sphere that  there  had  been.  There  was  a  faint  light,  like  a 
cold  watery  sun,  as  we  see  sometimes  on  earth.  It  seemed 
as  if  a  far-distant  light  began  to  penetrate  here  and  there 
through  the  gloom. 

I  observed  occasional  efforts  of  some  of  the  spirits  to  rise 
from  the  ground,  like  a  young  bird  trying  to  fly  for  the 
first  time.  This  was  quite  general  with  them ;  all  seemed 
trying  the  experiment.  They  arose  but  a  little  distance,  and 
some  succeeded  in  floating  along  above  the  surface  instead 


334  SPIRITUALISM. 

of  walking  as  heretofore.     They  were  disputing  among 
themselves  what  it  was,  this  new  power. 

It  was  a  vast  country  that  was  before  me.  I  saw  to  an 
immense  distance.  It  was  peopled  by  great  numbers. 
Some  parts  were  darker  than  others,  and  some  of  an  ink- 
like blackness.  They  who  lived  in  those  dark  places  had 
no  idea  that  there  were  any  lighter  places.  It  being  too 
dark  immediately  around  them  to  see  abroad,- they  did  not 
know  of  any  brighter  condition.  There  was  a  great  variety 
of  shade  to  the  atmosphere,  from  a  light  gray  to  a  black. 
I  had  seen  the  same  variety  in  the  happy  spheres,  only 
there  it  was  a  variety  of  light,  here  it  was  a  variety  of 
darkness. 

I  now  approached  one  of  those  black  spots,  and  there,  in 
a  miserable  hovel,  was  a  human  being.  He  was  ghastly 
thin,  haggard,  almost  a  skeleton.  He  knew  no  means  of 
escape  from  that  dark  habitation,  where  he  was  b^I  alone. 
The  most  violent  of  human  passions  were  raging  in  him, 
and  he  was  ever  walking  back  and  forth,  like  a  chained 
tiger  chafing  in  his  cage. 

There  was  a  little  light  in  that  habitation  of  }iis,  but  it 
was  an  awful  one.  It  was  the  red,  flame-like  light  of  his 
own  eyes.  They  were  open,  and  staring  like  burning 
coals,  with  a  black  spot  in  their  center,  and  were  constant- 
ly straining  to  see  something,  the  darkness  was  so  horrible 
to  him !  He  had  no  companion  but  his  own  hatred  and  the 
memory  of  the  evil  past. 

He  paused  once  in  a  while  in  his  walk,  raising  his 
clenched  hand  above  his  head,  and  cursed  his  Maker  that 
ever  he  created  him.  He  cursed  also  the  false  teachers 
who  pretended  to  tell  him  the  consequences  of  a  life  of  sin, 
and  yet  knew  so  little  of  it  themselves.  They  had  told  him 
of  a  hell  of  fire  and  brimstone  only,  and  he  knew  that  when 
he  died,  casting  ofl^  his  material  garb,  such  a  hell  could 
have  no  efiect  upon  him.  He  knew  that  such  a  hell  was 
impossible.  He  therefore  laughed  the  idea  to  scorn,  and, 
dreaming  of  no  other,  he  believed  there  was  none.     Now 


SPIBITUALISM.  335 

wakening  to. the  reality  of  a  hell  far  worse  than  had  ever 
been  painted  to  him,  he  cursed  God  and  man  that  he  had 
been  left  alone  to  dare  its  torments — that  he  had  been  left 
in  ignorance  of  w]|at  must  follow  the  indulgence  of  the 
material  passions  to  which  he  had  given  up  his  whole 
life. 

If  you  could  have  seen  the  agony  that  was  painted  on 
his  face,  the  despair  and  hatred  that  spoke  in  every  linea- 
ment, the  desperate  passion  that  swelled  every  muscle,  and 
the  horrible  fear  that  stole  over  him  of  what  further  or 
worse  might  ensue  from  his  daring  defiance  of  his  God, 
you  would  have  shuddered  and  recoiled  from  the  sight ;  and 
what  aggravated  all  this  suffering  was  his  ignorance  that 
there  was  any  redemption  for  him,  and  the  belief  that  it 
was  forever ! 

When  he  was  on  earth,  he  felt  always  that  he  could  fly 
to  death  as  a  refuge  from  earthly  unhappiness,  but  he 
,  could  find  no  death  where  he  then  was.  He  had  never 
met  yet  the  death  that  he  expected,  and  he  hoped  to  find 
it  in  his  present  existence.  He  had  again  and  again,  in 
every  mode  which  his  ingenuity  could  devise,  attempted 
to  slay  himself,  to  put  an  end  to  his  torment,  but  every  at- 
tempt had  only  added  to  the  conviction  that  it  was  without 
end. 

He  clasped  his  hands  together  over  his  head  with  a  ges- 
ture of  mute  despair,  and  standing  thus  a' few  moments  he 
cried,  "  Oh  !^for  annihilation  !" 

If  you  could  have  heard  the  tone  in  which  that  impreca- 
tion was  uttered,  you  could  have  formed  some  idea  of  the 
torments  of  the  damned.  He  had  worked  himself  into  a 
frightful  paroxysm  of  passion.  He  had  thrown  himself 
prostrate,  and  there,  groveling  in  the  dirt  and  writhing  in 
agony,  he  howled  like  the  most  furious  maniac  that  Bed- 
lam's worst  cell  ever  saw.  At  length,  from  sheer  exhaus- 
tion, he  was  still.  His  physical  powers  could  go  no  further, 
but  the  worm  of  his  memory  of  the  past  which  never  dies, 
was  but  the  more  active  because  of  the  cessation  of  the  ex- 


336  SPIEITTJALISM. 

ternal  effort,  and  now,  as  lie  thus  lay  prostrate  and  ex- 
hausted, solitary  and  in  utter  darkness,  all  the  evil  deeds 
of  his  life  on  earth  chased  each  other  through  his  memory, 
sporting  with  his  agony,  and  faithfully  performing  their 
terrible  duty  of  retribution. 

Oh !  how  gladly  he  would  have  welcomed  the  insanity 
of  which  he  w^as  reminded  by  his  own  wretched  condition ; 
how  he  would  have  welcomed  the  surroundings  of  his  ma- 
terial existence  as  appliances  once  again  to  help  him  for- 
get !  How  he  craved  even  physical  pain  and  anguish,  for 
he  believed  that  in  them  he  might  find  some  relief  to  the 
mental  agony  which  was  so  much  worse !  How  he  would 
have  welcomed  some  companion,  no  matter  how  degraded, 
so  that  he  could  feel  that  he  had  some  fellowship  less  hor- 
rible than  with  himself 


Btttian  ioxt^-on. 

Thursday  J  Dec.  15,  1853. 

The  circle  met.     Through  me  it  was  said : 

That  remote  light  approaches,  and  amid  it  is  seen  a 
spirit  sitting  on  a  throne,  surrounded  by  great  numbers 
coming  through  space.  A  lovely  voice  comes  from  that 
spirit,  saying : 

''Your  grossness  repelled — your  increasing  purity  at- 
tracts us.  The  holy  light  of  God's  love  in  which  we  dwell 
begins  to  surround  you,  and  while  it  draws  us  down^  it 
lifts  you  up. 

*  It  raises  a  mortal  to  the  skies, 
And  brings  an  angel  down.' " 


SPIRITUALISM.  337 

The  scene  approaches  quite  near  to  me,  so  that  I  can 
recognize  some  of  those  who  are  standing  near  the  throne. 
What  a  beautiful  lesson  it  is  ! 

"  We  come,"  says  that  spirit,  "  from  the  far-distant 
realms  of  the  blest,  to  aid  in  the  divine  work  of  the  re- 
•  demption  of  man.  We  come,  because  the  tidings  have 
reached  us  in  our  bright  abode  that  man  may  be  redeemed  ; 
and  we  come,  by  His  divine  command,  as  your  redeemer. 
Standing  here  by  my  side  is  the  messenger  who  has  tri- 
umphed over  death  and  the  grave,  who  has  brought  to  us  the 
glad  tidings  that  the  hour  of  your  redemption  is  nigh.  She 
comes,  borne  on  the  wings  of  that  love  which  is  of  God ; 
buoyed  up  by  that  purity  which  here  is  power,  and  in  hum- 
ble adoration  of  the  Great  Creator — in  the  child-like  confi- 
dence— in  the  ever-enduring  affection  of  the  Heavenly  Fa- 
ther, she  has  come,  invoking  to  the  task  the  power  of  the 
bright  and  the  pure,  who  have  long  since  passed  from  your 
sphere.  It  is  the  voice  of  God  which  speaks  from  her  heart, 
and  we  obey  it.  It  is  the  appeal  of  that  affection  which 
pervades  all  his  creation  which  is  the  atmosphere  in  which 
we  live,  and  which  finds  in  our  hearts  a  ready  response. 
We  come,  then,  in  the  might  and  love  of  our  Heavenly 
Father,  to  dispel  the  darkness  which  ages  of  ignorance 
have  cast  around  your  footsteps — to  overthrow  that  infidel- 
ity which  has  had  its  birth  in  the  struggle  between  the  ig- 
norance which  has  mistaught  and  the  knowledge  which 
has  confuted.  We  come  to  teach  man  that  the  great  qual- 
ities which  mark  his  existence,  the  attributes  which  he  de- 
rives from  the  Great  First  Cause,  and  the  exercise  of  which 
can  alone  bear  him  back  to  the  source  whence  he  springs, 
are  knowledge  and  love — knowledge,  in  which  alone  is  to 
be  found  the  power  to  perform  the  great  duty  before  you, 
and  love,  which  attracts  you  to  others,  and  others  to  you, 
and  can  alone  give  you  strength  to  perform  it.  That  love 
slumbers  ever  in  the  deepest  recesses  of  your  hearts  ;  it  is 
planted  there  by  the  hand  of  the  Almighty.  Bury  it  deep 
as  you  may  beneath  the  mountain  load  of  your  material 

22 


338  SPIRITUALISM. 

propensities,  it  must,  it  will  yet  spring  forth  to  answer  to 
the  voice  of  God  when  it  speaks  to  it. 

"That  knowledge!  whence  shall  you  derive  it?  From 
the  voice  of  man  ?  O  how  vain  the  hope  !  See  how  many 
centuries  have  rolled  into  eternity,  while  such  has  been  the 
source  whence  you  have  drawn  your  knowledge,  and  see 
how  far,  in  consequence  of  it,  you  are  lagging  behind  your 
immortal  destiny !  Will  you  seek  for  it  in  the  teachings 
of  those  whose  whole  material  existence  is  enveloped  in  the 
selfish  desire  of  building  up  sects?  Will  you  seek  it  in  the 
lessons  which  conflict  with  what  you  know,  and  see,  and 
feel  to  be  true  in  God's  works  around  you  ?  Will  you 
seek  it  in  the  teachings  which  deaden  the  affections,  which 
blight  the  divine  love  that  is  planted  within  you,  and  which 
forbid  you  to  exercise  your  reason  ?  Will  you  seek  it  in 
the  teachings  that  war,  day  by  day,  and  hour  by  hour,  with 
the  divine  attributes  of  knowledge  and  love  which  are  a 
part  of  your  nature  ?  Do  you  hope  to  find  it  in  the  awful 
struggle  to  which  the  human  heart  has  been  so  long  sub- 
jected, to  receive  a  faith  against  which  the  instincts  of 
your  heart  revolt,  and  which  your  God-like  reason  can  not 
comprehend  ?  Will  you  grope,  thus  darkly,  amid  the 
crumbling  ruins  which  the  past  ages  of  ignorance  have  left 
in  your  path  ?  With  your  God  above  you,  will  you  still 
keep  your  eyes  cast  downward  ?  Such  has  been  the  prog- 
ress of  the  past,  has  it  made  man  happy  ?  Has  it  advanced 
him  in  the  destiny  that  is  before  him?  Has  it  not,  on  the 
other  hand,  filled  your  earth  with  strife,  bloodshed,  and 
misery  ?  Can  no  lesson  be  drawn  from  the  unhappy  past  ? 
Will  you  still  grope  along,  dead  to  the  lessons  which  ex- 
perience teaches?  Will  you  still  choose  darkness  rather 
than  light,  that  your  deeds  may  still  be  evil  ?  and  think 
you  that  the  Great  Creator  has  not  revealed  his  laws  so 
that  you  may  understand  them  ?  Indeed,  indeed  he  has. 
Through  mortals  and  through  nature — in  his  words  and  in 
his  works  alike — has  he  spoken  to  man.  Read,  learn,  and 
be  wise,  but  think  not  that  in  the  great  volume  of  nature 


SPIRITUALISM.  339 

which  he  spreads  out  for  your  view  he  has  omitted  to  write 
his  eternal  and  immutable  laws,  and  has  deigned  to  give 
them  only  through  the  lips  of  weak  and  erring  mortals  like 
yourselves.  What  are  the  countless  worlds  that  sparkle 
in  the  star-lit  dome  but  pages  in  the  great  book  of  his 
revelation  ?  What  are  the  innumerable  hosts  of  sentient 
beings,  destined  like  you  to  inherit  immortality,  who  in- 
habit those  countless  worlds,  but  parts  of  the  great  lesson 
he  is  ever  teaching? 

"  The  grass  that  springs  beneath  your  feet ;  the  pebble 
on  which  you  tread ;  the  brook,  with  its  gentle  murmur ; 
the  cataract,  with  its  hoarser  roar ;  the  ocean  in  its  bound- 
less majesty  ;  the  humble  flower  that  blooms,  unseen,  amid 
the  depths  of  the  forest ;  the  lofty  mountain,  towering  high 
toward  heaven ;  the  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills  ;  the  dense 
forest,  redolent  of  life  and  joyous  song ;  the  soft  and  balmy 
air ;  the  storm  that  rages ;  the  noonday  sun,  and  the  dark- 
ness of  midnight ;  the  aspirations  of  your  own  hearts ;  the 
operation  of  the  omnipotent  thought  that  is  placed  within 
you ;  the  child  nestling  fondly  in  its  mother's  arms,  and 
old  age  tottering  on  the  verge  of  the  grave — all,  all  are 
parts  of  the  great  lesson.  He  is  teaching  of  his  will  and 
his  love.  They  are  his  revelations,  and,  unlike  those  which 
man  gives  to  man,  to  the  honest  inquirer  they  can  not  falsify 
or  deceive. 

"  Kead,  then,  his  word  which  he  has  thus  written  with 
his  own  Almighty  hand  in  the  book  thus  open  before  you, 
and  see  if  there  you  can  find  one  precept  that  conflicts  with 
the  instincts  of  your  immortal  nature — which  are  ever, 
'mid  all  your  corruptions  and  darkness,  teaching  the  abiding 
truth  that  God  is  love,  and  that  to  be  with  him  and  of  him, 
love  must  be  the  breath  of  your  nostrils,  the  life-blood  of 
your  heart,  the  very  spirit  of  your  existence. 

"This  lesson  we  come  to  teach  to  weak  and  erring  man, 
to  lift  him  from  the  degradation  into  which  his  material 
propensities  have  sunk  him,  and  draw  him  nigher  unto 
God. 


34:0  SPIEITUALISM. 

"In  that  love,  in  man's  capacity  to  understand  and  ap- 
preciate it,  he  will  find  at  once  his  Redeemer  and  his  Sav- 
iour. Whether  it  be  spoken  through  mortal  lips  or  through 
his  vast  creation,  it  is  still  full  mighty  to  triumph  over  sin 
and  death — all-powerful  to  save — all-conquering  for  man. 

"This  is  the  lesson  which  the  bright  hosts  of  heaven  are 
pouring  in  such  glorious  streams  of  light  on  benighted  man. 
The  hour  has  come ;  the  day  of  his  redemption  is  nigh,  and 
against  its  advent  the  powers  of  darkness  can  no  longer 
prevail.  Heaven,  through  its  mighty  mansions,  rejoices 
in  songs  of  praise  to  Him.  Already  has  its  joy  visited 
your  hearts,  and  soon  shall  it  spread  abroad,  infusing  into 
the  hearts  of  mankind  the  knowledge  of  his  love — that  man, 
aiming  at  his  purity,  may  bask  in  its  glorious  light  forever 
and  ever." 


Sulion  Jf0rtg-tfofl 


Sunday^  Dec.  18,  1853. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  circle,  it  was  written,  through  Dr.  Dexter  : 

OuK  Father !  thou  who  art  the  principle  of  truth,  of  good, 
and  of  purity,  we  pray  that  thou  wilt  teach  us  that  when 
we  seek  for  what  is  truth,  we  may  begin  from  our  own 
hearts,  and  upward  progress  to  its  source.  That  we'  may 
feel  that  no  thought  or  act  of  ours  can  be  measured  by  thy 
purity,  unless  it  is  in  itself  free  from  the  propensities  of  our 
animal  nature.  That  in  regarding  ourselves  we  may  re- 
gard others,  and  learn  to  deal  gently  with  their  faults  and 
errors — that  we  may  become  as  little  children  before  thee, 
tracing  in  the  sunshine  of  thy  love  those  glorious  images 


SPIEITIJALISM.  341 

which  should  fill  our  minds — that  we  may  forget  all  sins 
against  ourselves  and  learn  to  forgive  as  thou  forgivest. 
•We  ask  thee,  O  God,  to  send  thy  spirits  to  our  aid  in  all 
that  becomes  us  as  man  and  woman — and  when  at  last  we 
lay  our  bodies  in  the  grave,  may  we  enter  eternity  without 
one  fear  that  our  sins  on  earth  shall  then  find  us  out. 

SWEEDENBOKG. 

My  friends,  it  has  been  so  long  since  I  have  conversed 
with  you,  that  I  am  almost  a  stranger,  but  the  love  I  bear 
toward  you  all  still  burns  as  brightly  when  I  am  absent  as 
when  I  am  present,  and  I  wish  for  a  moment  that  you  would 
listen  to  what  I  have  to  say. 

It  is  well  at  proper  times  that  I,  who  have  assumed  the 
province  of  your  spiritual  teacher,  should  come  to  you  and 
teach  you  of  those  things  it  most  behooves  you  to  know, 
that  in  the  multiplicity  of  communications  given  to  you  by 
other  spirits,  you  may  not  forget  the  high  and  holy  pur- 
pose for  which  these  teachings  were  instituted. 

It  was  not  alone  that  the  world  should  become  edified 
with  the  truths  uttered  by  and  to  our  circle,  that  we  re- 
vealed them  through  your  instrumentality.  It  was  not  to 
prove  by  these  means  that  a  high  order  of  intelligence  was 
capable  of  communicating  through  you  the  wonders  of  the 
spheres.  It  was  not  that  we  might  corroborate,  by  any 
thing  said  or  done  at  your  circle,  the  sayings  of  spirits  by 
other  mediums  and  to  other  circles.  But  there* was  a  spe- 
cial object  also  in  appealing  to  the  individual  character  of 
each  member  of  your  circle,  to  induce  in  each  a  new  order 
of  thought,  and  by  this  means  institute  a  new  order  of 
action.  It  matters  not  what  ideas  are  given  you,  or  what 
new  revelations  are  made,  and  what  the  eifect  may  be  on 
yourselves,  so  that  you  do  but  act  in  accordance  with  the 
general  principles  established  by  our  Creator. 

I  mean  simply  this,  that  all  men  are  governed  in  their 
feelings  and  acts  by  what  impresses  them  as  right.  They 
reason  on  what  they  receive,  and  what  their  mind  decides 


342  SPIRITUALISM. 

is  truth.  But  there  may  be  much  error  in  this  system  of 
individual  or  independent  thought ;  for  the  soul  in  its  nat- 
ural relations  is  influenced  by  what  is  obnoxious  or  that 
which  is  unpleasant.  How  much,  therefore,  may  the  spirit 
in  its  conclusions  be  biased  by  tlie  unfavorable  directions 
given  to  truth  itself  by  the  original  and  independent  influ- 
ences of  the  natural  part.  Conscious  that  we  design  to  do 
well  and  live  truthfully  before  God,  the  spirit  assumes  an 
original  action  which  may  have  a  stroug  foundation,  but  a 
superstructure  that  is  weak  and  tottering. 

My  friends,  the  mind  that  can  throw  off"  the  early  affec- 
tion it  has  acquired,  except  for  evil,  is  indeed  independent, 
but  is  it  right?  Can  our  affections,  based  on  the  gentle 
and  true  impulses  of  a  nature  whose  material  preponder- 
ances are  but  emphatically  slight — can  it  set  aside  those 
ideas  which  come  directly  from  the  soul  through  less  of 
grossness  than  in  after-life,  and  be  considered  as  other  than 
erecting  a  superstructure  weak  and  tottering?  It  may  be 
that  what  are  called  reason  and  experience  have  changed 
ideas,  but  there  is  one  great  law  which  you  are  to  under- 
stand, and  that  is,  that  as  you  grow  older  the  material  in- 
fluences direct  you  so  silently,  so  secretly,  so  unawares,  that 
when  you  ascribe  to  the  reason  and  progress  of  your  un- 
derstanding your  change  of  thought,  you  may  in  fact  obey 
this  silent,  secret,  but  ail-powerful  control  of  your  material 
natures.  Now  this  may. appear  strange.  But  when  you 
consider  that  no  spirit  who  enters  on  the  progressive  stage 
of  eternity  is  made  to  understand  the  true  position  it  is  to 
occupy  till  it  has  east  off  as  a  garment  the  selfish  notions 
and  ideas  it  cherished  most  when  on  earth,  you  can  then 
indeed  realize  what  I  mean  by  what  I  have  said. 

Now,  what  I  have  to  say  furtlier  to  you  to-night,  I  have 
learned  since  I  last  communicated  with  you,  and  I  wish 
your  earnest  attention  and  careful  thought,  for  it  is  for 
your  special  instruction  I  reveal  it;  and  for  the  good  it 
may  do  your  natures  on  earth  and  in  the  spheres.  Listen, 
then,  to  what  I  say. 


SPIRITUALISM.  343 

You  have  been  taught  that  God  is  a  principle  —that  he  is 
the  source  of  all  goodness,  love,  and  truth,  and  that  in  him 
are  the  attributes  which,  properly  directed  by  his  wisdom, 
impel  man  to  progress  toward  the  goodness,  and  truth,  and 
love  which  he  exhibits  through  his  works. 

This  is  true.  God  is  indeed  the  first  and  last,  the  begin- 
ning and  end.  But  God  works  by  means ;  and  as  it  is  ne- 
cessary that  material  connections  should  be  established  to 
convey  certain  influences  that  the  harmony  of  creation  may 
be  kept  up,  and  the  relative  relations  be  felt  throughout  all 
creation ;  so  it  becomes  necessary  that  God,  in  the  commu- 
nication to  man  of  his  laws  and  the  eflects  of  his  princi- 
ples, should  use  those  connections  which  are  in  the  same 
state  or  condition,  or,  rather,  in  the  same  order  of  existing 
arrangement.  Thus,  when  he  has  placed  around  your 
earth  an  atmosphere,  he  has  made  the  union  of  the  several 
ingredients  w^hich  compose  it  the  means  by  which  he  pro- 
duces certain  known  and  important  effects.  And  also 
when  he  transmits  through  the  earth  the  subtile  and  pow- 
erful agent,  electricity,  he  has  chosen  certain  organized 
substances  by  which  it  is  most  easily  transmitted.  Thus, 
also,  when  he  intends  to  carry  out  any  purpose  under  his 
laws,  the  means  are  always  adapted  to  the  end,  and  he 
chooses  certain  agents  to  consummate  this  purpose. 

Spirits  are  chosen,  or,  rather,  they  are  impelled,  to  under- 
take the  execution  of  the  laws  of  God,  and  under  this  law 
of  their  impulses  they  are  selected  to  carry  into  execution 
certain  acts  in  reference  to  'individuals,  and  the}'',  under 
this  arrangement,  are  called  guardian  spirits.  Each  one 
of  you  has  more  or  less  guardian  spirits.  And  they  are 
constantly  teaching  you  by  the  thoughts  they  engender  in 
your  minds,  and  the  direction  which  they  endeavor  to  give 
to  thought.  And  to  each  of  you  there  is  being  prepared  a 
teaching  that  will  probe  your  souls,  and  exhibit  to  your 
consciousness  on  what  kind  of  a  basis  your  life-action  is 
founded. 

It  is  hardly  commensurate  with  the  high  aspirations  of  a 


344:  S  P  I  R  IT  tJ  A  L I  g  M . 

good  spirit,  that  when  so  long  and  so  intimately  associated 
as  I  have  been  with  you,  that  he  should  not  inquire  of 
you  the  use  you  have  made  of  the  jewels  he  has  bestowed 
on  you  ;  and  therefore  when  I  say  that  your  guardian  spir- 
its are  to  probe  your  hearts,  I  say,  under  this  law,  they  are 
as  much  the  instruments  of  God  as  are  the  agents  which 
execute  his  daily  laws.  Bring  then  before  him  the  secret 
feelings  of  your  souls.  Ask  yourselves  if  you  have  prized 
the  inestimable  jewels  you  have  received  as  you  should? 
Ask,  if  to  carry  out  your  own  purposes  you  have  unknow- 
ingly retarded  the  progress  of  others  ?  Ask,  if  what  you 
consider  truth  may  not  be  the  determined  influence  of  your 
will  ?  Ask,  if  you  have  studied  other  hearts,  and  have  un- 
derstood them  ?  Ask,  if  you  have  made  your  own  inclina- 
tions yield  to  what  before  God  is  truth;?  Ask,  if  you  have 
deceived  yourselves,  and  in  that  deception  have  misled 
others  ?  Ask,  if  your  actions  have  not  been  simulated  ? 
Why  do  I  suggest  this  critical  scrutiny  of  your  hearts  ? 

Why  dare  I,  the  spirit  of  Sweedenborg,  unseen  to  you, 
but  seeing,  oh !  how  clearly,  ask  you  to  call  up  in  review 
all  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  your  hearts  ?  Why  do  I 
reiterate  these  things  ?  Why  do  I  wish  you  to  look  up  to 
the  great  Source  of  truth  and  love  ?  Oh !  it  is  that  your 
souls  may  be  so  pure  and  white,  that  your  natures  may  be- 
come so  sublimated,  your  thoughts  may  harmonize  so  en- 
tirely with  the  glorious  affinities  of  the  upper  spheres,  that 
your  very  natures  may  reflect  the  God-like  attributes  of 
perfect  truth — that '  you  may  stand  as  polished  statues, 
pure,  spotless,  and  radiant  in  the  finish  of  an  eternal  pro- 
gression begun  on  earth — to  end  only  when  you  shall 
stand  forever  with  your  feet  on  evil,  but  your  heads  in  the 
glorious  light  of  everlasting  goodness. 

I  am  glad  these  thoughts  have  been  called  out  by  what 
has  been  said.  Now  you  all  know  that  the  violation  of  a 
physical  law  is  followed  by  a  proper  penalty.  You  know 
when  you  eat  or  drink  in  violation  of  law — when  anything 
is  done  contrary  to  the  law  of  your  physical  existence, 


SPIEITUALISM.  345 

your  bodies  suffer  sooner  or  later.  'Now  is  it  possible  that 
an  entire  isolation  from  the  world  is  necessary  to  under- 
stand that  God  affixed  a  penalty  to  the  violation  of  a  mate- 
rial law,  and  that  you  should  feel  and  know  its  punishment 
— that  he  would  still  more  regard  the  law  of  his  own  moral 
nature,  and  in  its  violation  inflict  the  punishment  it  de- 
mands ?  Have  I  taught  so  long  to  you  that  progression  in 
the  development  of  mind — in  the  observance  of  the  rela- 
tions existing  between  man — in  the  development  of  his  in- 
tellect and  the  love  of  unmixed  purity  and  truth,  are  the 
result  of  obeying  these  laws  as  unmixed  happiness  on  earth 
also — ^for  the  truly  good  man  regards  not  the  ills  of  life,  but 
looks  to  the  end  ?  Have  I  taught  you  so  long,  and  yet  you 
do  not  understand  that  when  you  do  wrong,  your  natures, 
moral  natures,  suffer  ?  ISTo  education  can  warp  or  mask  the 
suffering  of  the  spirit  when  it  has  committed  a  moral  wrong. 
No ;  if  there  is  a  God,  if  there  is  a  soul,  that  God  as  surely 
recognizes  a  moral  wrong,  and  the  soul  as  surely  perceives  it, 
as  the  mind  knows  there  is  a  body.  And  we  may  reason  and 
argue,  but  we  must  come  back  at  last  to  the  fundamental 
principles  taught  by  Christ,  that  love  to  God — the  yearning 
of  the  spirit  to  exist  and  dwell  with  God — and  love  to  man, 
in  the  performance  of  all  those  duties  established  both  by 
God  and  man,  is  the  sure  road  to  right  and  truth.  When 
we  go  beyond  what  we  are  conscious  we  know,  then  are  we 
mystified.  But  there  is  a  simple  and  sure  path  which  all 
may  tread  safely.  'Tis  in  regarding  what  we  know  in  follow- 
ing what  our  consciences  teach  us  we  can  comprehend. 


346  SPIEITTJALISM. 


tttiai  Jfnfg-tjree 


Monday,  Dec.  19,  1853. 

The  circle  met,  and  after  some  miscellaneous  teachings,  the  following 
came  through  me  : 

I  WAS  in  those  darker  spheres  again.  The  object  that 
now  attracted  my  attention  was  a  woman  and  a  young 
child,  sitting  on  a  rude  bench  by  the  side  of  a  hovel.  They 
were  all  drawn  up  in  a  heap,  sitting  close  to  each  other,  as 
if  attracted  by  a  mingled  feeling  of  fear  and  love  toward  a 
man  who  was  walking  rapidly  backward  and  forward  at  a 
little  distance  from  them.  I  did  not  get  the  precise  rela- 
tion they  had  occupied  toward  each  other  here,  but  I  learned 
that  the  woman  and  child  had  been  suddenly  cut  off  from 
life,  and  were  more  attracted  to  him  than  to  any  one  else 
in  the  spirit-world,  because  of  the  tie  which  had  bound 
them  to  him  here.  They  looked  very  wretched  and  un- 
happy ;  and  the  man,  as  he  walked  back  and  forth  in  front 
of  them,  had  them  constantly  in  his  mind,  and  was  ever  a 
witness  of  their  misery.  It  would  seem  that  he  liad  been 
the  cause  of  their  death  from  some  evil  motive  or  other, 
and  that  they  had  thus  haunted  him,  and  when  on  earth 
thus  tormented  him  by  their  presence,  which  they  had 
been  able  to  make  palpable  to  him,  and  that  the  suffering 
which  this  had  caused  him  he  had  been  compelled  to  con- 
cealfrom  the  world  and  keep  entirely  to  himself,  without 
daring  to  hint  it  to  any  one  lest  it  should  expose  his  crime. 
And  that  suffering  had  been  so  great,  and  had  endured  so 
long,  that  when  death  approached,  he  welcomed  it  as  a 
relief  from  their  presence.  But  the  first  sensation  he  had 
on  waking  to  consciousness  in  the  spirit-world,  was  their 


SPIRITUALISM.  347 

presence  more  palpable,  more  near  than  ever  before  ;  and 
from  the  time  of  his  entrance  to  that  world,  which  was  long, 
long  ago,  he  had  never  for  one  moment  been  exempt  from 
their  presence.  He  had  resorted  to  various  expedients  to 
get  rid  of  it,  but  he  found  that  one  effect  of  death  with 
him  had  been  to  deprive  him  of  means  which  on  eartli  he 
had  often  successfully  used  to  rid  himself  of  their  presence. 
He  tried  all  those  means  in  his  present  state  of  existence, 
but  in  vain :  his  victims  were  ever  near  him,  too  near  for 
him  to  shake  them  off.  He  had  fled  from  place  to  place, 
in  the  hope  of  escaping  them  ;  he  had  rushed  into  crowds  ; 
he  had  occupied  himself  with  the  most  exciting  pursuits 
of  spirit-life ;  he  had  plunged  into  solitude ;  he  had  en- 
treated them  and  threatened  them,  but  all  in  vain — he 
could  harm  them  no  more — but  at  all  times  and  under  all 
circumstances  they  were  near  him,  performing  ever  their 
melancholy  task  of  retribution.  At  length,  in  utter  de- 
spair of  ever  escaping  them,  he  had  ceased  his  efforts,  and 
retired  alone  to  one  of  the  darker  portions  of  that  country, 
where  he  thought  he  could  shut  out  from  the  world  around 
him  the  knowledge  of  his  extraordinary  suff'erings.  But 
even  here  too  he  was  disappointed.  Though  his  darkness 
of  mind  might  have  found  a  fitting  residence  in  the  deep- 
est gloom  of  that  unholy  place,  yet  their  superior  elevation 
ever  lifted  up  the  darkness  which  he  craved,  just  so  much 
as  to  make  him  visible  to  all  around  him.  The  closing 
part  of  his  life  on  earth  had  been  an  enduring  effort  to 
conceal  from  man  the  knowledge  of  his  crime  and  his  suf- 
ferings in  consequence  of  it,  and  now,  in  the  spirit-world, 
there  was  the  same  enduring,  and  even  more  ardent  desire 
of  concealment,  with  the  conviction  that  he  could  not  con- 
ceal. Thus,  then,  he  lived,  with  no  companions  but  the 
victims  of  his  evil  passions,  and  no  employment  for  his 
mind,  which  on  earth  had  been  very  active,  and  was  now 
even  more  so,  but  the  recollection  of  his  crimes ;  for  one 
crime  with  him  had  led  to  another,  so  that  when  now  he 
turned  his  thoughts  from  one  offense  they  found  refuge 


348  SPIEITUAlilSM. 

only  in  the  recollection  of  another.  Thus  he  lived  day  by 
day,  year  by  year,  ever  engaged  in  that  uneasy  movement, 
that  unhappy  mental  irritation,  which  kept  him  ever  trav- 
ersing that  limited  path  and  moving  backward  and  for- 
ward in  presence  of  the  living  evidences  of  a  life  misspent. 
If  you  could  have  seen  the  agony  which  was  painted  on^ 
his  face,  which  was  portrayed  in  his  gestures — which  was 
delineated  in  his  fitful,  uneasy  gait,  you  would  say  that  in- 
deed "the  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard." 

Once  in  a  while  he  would  look  at  his  victims  with  a  feel- 
ing of  concentrated  hatred,  as  if  he  would  tear  them  to 
pieces,  but  his  power  over  them  was  gone.  Occasionally 
as  he  passed  them  he  turned  his  head  away  from  them,  in 
the  hope  of  driving  them  from  his  thoughts,  but  some  mo- 
tion or  action  of  theirs  recalled  his  attention  to  them.  And 
I  saw  him  chafing  his  hands  and  holding  them  above  his 
head  in  the  most  horrible  feeling  of  despair  you  can  imag- 
ine. He  beat  his-  head  with  his  hands  and  threw  his  arras 
out.  He  paused  once  -in  a^while,  and  looked  up  for  some 
means  of  escape.  I  saw  him  in  utter  despair  seated  on  the 
ground,  covering  his  face  with  his  hands.  His  whole 
frame  shook  with  emotion,  and  it  seemed  as  if  he  would 
have  wept,  but  no  tear  would  start.  And  as  he  thus  sat, 
his  victims  rose  and  approached  him.  The  "woman  laid 
her  hand  upon  his  shoulder,  and  the  frightful  agony  with 
which  he  started  to  his  feet  at  that  touch  made  me  shud- 
der. He  resumed  his  walk  more  rapidly  and  more  un- 
easily. The  woman  and  child  returned  to  their  seat,  and 
it  seemed  from  his  motions  and  gestures  that  his  sufferings 
and  his  despair  were  constantly  on  the  increase. 

"  Oh !  how  gladly,"  he  cried,  "  would  I  welcome  the 
death  I  dreamed  of,  rather  than  this  state  of  existence !" 
Death,  though  it  should  send  him  to  the  hell  of  which  he 
had  heard,  for  even  its  pain  would  be  a  welcome  refuge 
from  the  eternal  and  ever-increasing  torment  he  was  now 
enduring.  That  torment  was  vastly  increased  even  in  his 
mind,  by  the  consciousness  that  his  victims  were  chained  to 


SPIRITUALISM.  34:9 

Ms  life  by  and  through  himself.  That  his  injury  to  them 
did  not  terminate  with  their  homicide,  but  continues  by 
their  condemnation  to  his  society.  That  condemnation  was 
not  owing  so  much  to  his  act  as  to  the  lives  themselves 
had  led  here  and  the  attraction  which  had  bound  them  to- 
gether here,  and  which  binds  them  together  still,  so  that 
it  was  his  love  and  his  crime  which  alike  chained  him  and 
his  victims  to  the  same  condition  of  wretchedness,  to  which 
neither  he  nor  they  could  conceive  any  end. 


ttihn  Jfortg-foitr. 


Monday,  Dec.  26,  1853. 
The  circle  met.     Through  Dr.  Dexter  it  was  said : 

When  the  eye  looks  up  to  heaven  and  beholds  the  stars, 
and  the  light  thereof  strikes  the  nerve  of  that  eye,  the  mind 
is  conscious  that  there  is  a  body  through  which  that  light 
is  received.  The  ear  takes  note,  and  distinguishes  the  dif- 
ferent sounds  of  music.  The  mouth  distinguishes  the  va- 
rious flavors  of  food  and  substances  which  are  taken  therein. 
The  nose  detects  and  separates  the  unpleasant  from  the 
pleasant  odors ;  and  we  with  our  eyes  shut  can  distinguish 
the  form  of  various  objects  when  pressed  by  our  fingers. 

The  body  has  two  conditions  :  one  of  reception,  and  the 
other  of  rejection.  As  the  mind,  the  soul  recognizes  an 
idea  distinct  from  any  suggestive  cause  it  shows  a  condi- 
tion independent  of  surrounding  influences  or  causes.  Thus 
it  stands  alone,  and  is  influenced  in  its  isolated  condition. 
-It  is  this  condition  which  enable  us  to  approach  you,  aside 
from  the  material  influences  or  causes  which  may  impede 


350  •*-  SPIRITUALISM. 

or  facilitate  this  connection  and  communication  with  you. 
The  spirit  must  be  in  this  independent,  suggestive,  or  re- 
ceptive condition  before  we  can  influence  the  mind  to  act 
of  itself ;  I  mean  when  we  can  take  mind  and  use  it  to  ex- 
press our  ideas ;  for  the  soul  alone  receives  us  as  we  come, 
and  recognizes  us  within  itself,  or  surrounding  itself,  and 
grants  us  that  privilege  of  using  your  material  nature  to 
speak  through  you. 

"When  we  occupy  or  are  identified  with  the  soul,  we  be- 
come the  motive  power  of  the  mind,  we  govern  and  con- 
trol it ;  and  having,  as  it  were,  usurped  (by  permission,  for 
it  is  a  recognized  usurpation)  the  powers  and  faculties  of 
the  mind  for  our  own  purposes,  we  then,  through  the  mate- 
rial instincts,  govern  every  impression  which  is  made  upon 
the  sentient  extremities  of  the  nerves.  Thus  we  can  con- 
trol, in  the  receptive  condition,  the  whole  body,  mind,  and 
soul.  There  are  cases  of  so  complete  spiritual  control  that 
the  mind  might  be  separated  from  the  body  and  not  feel  it. 

To  show  the  difference  that  exists  between  this  condition 
and  its  opposite — the  rejective  condition— I  will  bring  up 
an  example  known  to  most  of  you,  by  which,  through  the 
repulsive  efforts  of  the  material  and  immaterial  parts  of 
the  organization,  the  spirits  who  have  once  controlled  a 
medium  in  the  most  easy  and  perfect  manner,  have  been 
unable  to  approach  that  medium  so  as  to  influence  her  at 
all.  Now  we  can  move  her  arm  ;  that  is  the  material  con- 
nection alone.  We  can  move  it  as  I  move,  but  that  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  movement  and  vibration  of  the  soul. 
We  can  not  approach  the  soul ;  w^e  can  not  seat  ourselves 
in  the  carriage  and  take  the  reins  of  the  mind  and  drive 
thought  through  every  part  of  the  spheres.  The  coursers 
are  there,  and  so  is  the  carriage,  harnessed  and  ready  for 
the  journey  ;  but  the  driver  is  in  the  repulsive  condition, 
which  repels  us. 

'Now  be  it  known  to  you  that  the  soul  is  organized  in  its 
material  connection  with  the  body.  This  is  a  new  idea, 
which  has  been  revealed  to  us  lately. 


SPIRITUALISM.  351 

The  soul  enters  the  embryo  ready  organized,  or  it  could 
not  grow ;  and  when  it  leaves  its  material  organization, 
and  steps  over  the  threshold  of  eternity,  it  is  ready  organ- 
ized and  prepared  to  encounter  all  that  is  before  it. 

There  are  therefore  two  distinct  organizations  :  one  the 
material  body,  and  the  other  the  organic  soul.  Now  to 
convince  your  minds  that  the  organic  soul  may  be  im- 
proved distinctly  and  independently  of  the  body,  we  will 
offer  as  an  example  this  fact,  known  to  every  one  who  has 
watched  the  phases  of  organic  life  and  the  manifestations 
of  the  soul.  Take  a  tree,  and  you  can  shape  it  into  what 
form  you  please  by  grafting  on  its  branches  another  and  a 
different  kind  of  fruit ;  you  can  raise  the  most  delicious 
fruit  from  another  and  a  different  kind  of  vegetable.  Then 
you  can,  from  one  vegetable  of  a  very  inferior  quality, 
generate  the  most  acceptable  kind  of  fruit  or  food  knowm 
to  man.  You  can  improve  the  breed  of  your  dogs  in  their 
fleetness,  shape,  scent,  and  all  the  properties  belonging  to 
this  particular  line  of  life  for  which  it  is  designed.  And  so 
you  can  sheep.  You  can  improve  the  breed  of  sheep,  and 
make  that  which  is  lean  remarkably  fat,  and  from  Sparse 
wool  produce  a  luxuriant  growth  in  fineness,  length,  and 
weight.  So  with  a  horse  :  from  that  which  is  an  insignif- 
icant animal,  you  may  produce  the  proudest  specimen  of 
animal  life.  You  may  go  further,  and  yet  your  tree  is  a 
tree  still ;  your  dog  yelps  his  characteristics ;  your  sheep 
bleats  his  cognomen  and  race  ;  your  horse,  the  noblest,  is 
but  a  horse  after  all.  But  when  you  communicate  to  the 
organized  soul  the  knowledge  received  through  the  mate- 
rial parts,  you  make  that  which  was  man  a  very  God  ;  you 
send  his  thirsty  soul  up  to  the  source  from  whence  it 
sprang,  and  it  comes  back  stamped  with  all  the  attributes 
of  its  origin. 

Thus  it  is  that  the  soul,  developed  in  its  connection  with 
the  body,  grasps  with  the  arm  of  almost  Almighty  power 
the  deepest  secrets  of  nature,  and  sports  with  their  dark 
mysteries  as  with  a  toy.     It  takes  from  heaven  the  emblem 


352  SPIRITUALISM. 

of  His  awful  power,  and  tames  it  to  the  workings  of  its 
own  convenience.  Man  spans  tlie  earth's  surface  with  his 
iron  bands,  and  binds  distant  parts  together,  and  makes 
them  citizens  as  of  one  family.  In  the  smallest  pebble 
that  he  crushes  beneath  his  feet,  he,  in  the  omnipotence 
of  his  mind,  extracts  the  principle  of  laws  which  he  adapts 
to  his  own  exigences  and  necessities. 

What  can  the  horse  impart  of  his  own  knowledge  to 
another  ?  Can  he  impress  on  the  mind  of  another  the  image 
of  thoughts  in  his  own  brain  ?  But  the  soul  of  man,  start- 
ing from  a  given  epoch,  sends  to  the  future  that  Almighty 
knowledge  which  thrills  in  the  hearts  of  men  in  all  time. 
Is  that  material,-  that  thought  which  excites  thought  when 
ages  shall  have  passed  away,  and  even  the  name  of  the  man 
have  perished  in  the  past  ?  Has  God  done  more  than  this  ? 
Has  he  not  done  just  like  this?  and  when  we  see  nations, 
continents,  the  world  itself  springing  into  life,  and  grasp- 
ing these  thoughts,  and  adapting  them  to  their  own  condi- 
tion and  age,  shall  we  not  say  that  this  universal  principle 
has  more  of  life  than  all  God's  earth  on  which  man  lives, 
and  even  his  own  body,  for  that  dies,  but  the  thought  of 
his  soul  is  eternal.  This,  then,  it  is  with  which  we  com- 
mune. This  it  is  now  that  I  am  impressing ;  we  impress, 
by  our  own  thoughts,  the  soul  of  the  medium ;  every  vibra- 
tion of  his  own  soul  is  syncronous  with  vibrations  of  our 
souls.  You  can  feel  the  pulse  beat  within  its  vessels,  and 
time  the  smallest  beat  of  the  heart ;  but  you  can  not  time 
the  vibrations  of  the  soul.  Its  mainspring  is  the  God  who 
made  it ;  but  he  made  that  same  principle  to  move  your 
souls  as  well  as  mine. 

The  soul  is  organized,  and  its  special  organism  is  what  I 
influence.  I  enter  into  that  soul  by  that  receptive  prin- 
ciple existing  there,  and  when  there,  that  soul,  through 
its  material  organization,  responds  my  thoughts  the  same 
way  it  responds  to  its  own  thoughts,  and  I  become  its  soul 
— my  mind  is  its ;  but  when  I  influence  its  body  I  use  ma- 
terial means  known  to  every  one  present.     How  vast  their 


SPIKITUALISM.  353 

own  power  and  yours  !  yet  the  door  is  but  partly  open, 
and  you  are  peering  over  a  vast  country  which  lies  beyond 
— looking  through  a  small  space  to  an  inconceivable  space 
beyond.  This  is  our  first  step  toward  heaven  and  its  mys- 
teries. Then,  friends  of  the  sacred  circle,  chosen  as  you 
are,  favored  with  opportunities  far  beyond  those  which  are 
given  to  many  of  your  race — ponder  well  what  you  have 
heard — for  it  is  not  a  sprinkling  of  knowledge  and  wisdom 
you  have  had,  but  a  copious  shower,  which  will  germinate 
the  eternal  seeds  of  wisdom  in  your  own  souls,  if  you  will 
but  unite  with  us  in  their  cultivation. 

What  say  you  ?  Can  you  comprehend  all  that  is  said  to 
you  ?  Are  you  satisfied  that  you  have  probed  to  the  bot- 
tom every  principle,  and  sentiment,  and  thought  so  lav- 
ishly poured  on  you  ?  Yet  your  soul  manifests  its  divine 
attributes  in  its  thirst  for  more ;  and  may  I  say  to  you,  it 
were  well  if  you  understood  it  all  ?  I  am  standing  on  a 
plane  that  overlooks  the  glorious  beauties  of  the  spheres. 
I  see  the  radiant  glory  of  divine  light  that  sheds  its  gor- 
geous hues  on  every  flower,  and  tree,  and  plain,  and  mount- 
ain. I  see  millions  of  spirits,  who  once  inhabited  your 
world,  wending  their  way,  'mid  this  brightness,  to  that  spot 
where  every  spirit  concentrates.  I  look  back,  and  this 
dark  ball  is  rolling  in  the  space  to  which  its  orbit  is  cir- 
cumscribed. I  see  your  mites  of  bodies  toiling  on  its  sur- 
face, delving  for  the  petty  things  there  to  be  gleaned ;  but 
ever  and  anon  the  divine  emanation  of  the  soul  starts  from 
your  dark  atmosphere,  and,  obtaining  its  ultimate  height, 
sparkles  and  bursts  in  the  midst  thereof,  sending  forth  its 
brilliant  sparks.  Thought  is  God,  for  it  controls  all  na- 
ture, and  penetrates  all  the  laws  by  which  God  has  made 
that  nature.  I  tell  you,  then,  stand  ye  not  still,  for  every 
thought  of  mind,  whether  of  great"  or  little  import,  yields, 
either  on  earth  or  in  the  spheres,  its  diamonds  to  enrich 
some  mind  which  shall  have  found  and  taken  possession 
of  it. 

23 


354:  SPIEITUALISM. 


ttimx  Jfortg-fi&L 


Thursday,  Dec.  29,  1853. 
The  circle  met  at  my  house — all  the  circle  being  present. 
The  question  was  asked — What  is  the  physical  condition  in  which 
we  must  be  placed  in  order  that  spirits  may  communicate  with  us  ? 
Through  Dr.  Dexter  it  was  answered  : 

Children,  you  talk  about  love,  and  you  imagine  that 
through  the  spheres  this  eternal  attribute  of  God  is  made 
manifest,  and  yet  you  suppose  that  this  divine  attribute  is 
in  every  heart,  and  that  from  the  beginning  God  endowed 
the  spirit  with  that  w^hich  is  a  part  of  himself,  as  an  ele- 
ment of  his  origin.  This  may  be  true.  It  would  seem 
that  when  God  gave  forth  the  soul,  with  that  soul  there 
came  the  same  attributes  it  possessed  when  incorporated 
with  the  germ.  And  it  is  true  that  every  soul  on  this 
earth,  and  inhabiting  the  countless  worlds  above  and  below, 
has  this  eternal  principle  in  its  nature;  but  there  is  one 
important  lesson  to  be  understood,  and  the  facility  with 
which  I  can  communicate  to  you  by  this  means  enables  me 
to  occupy  a  moment  or  two  to  tell  you  what  that  lesson  is. 

What  is  this  love?  Is  it  that  which  will  make  us  work 
for  others — suffer  for  others — give  to  others?  All  these 
things,  these  efforts  of  the  mind  and  body,  may  arise  from  an 
entirely  different  source  or  principle. 

What  is  love,  and  what  its  influence  on  our  souls? 
There  are  as  many  different  minds  in  all  their  phases,  all 
their  actions,  all  their  manifestations,  in  all  their  passions, 
In  all  their  affections,  in  all  their  tastes,  their  likes,  and 
their  dislikes,  as  there  are  differences  in  the  stars ;  as  one 
star  differs  from  another  in  glory  and  brilliancy,  so  does 
mind  vary  from  mind. 


SPIEITUA-LISM.  355 

/ 

God,  when  he  stamped  the  impress  of  his  sentient  par- 
ticle which  came  from  him,  endowed  it  with  the  almighty 
attributes  of  his  nature ;  claiming  kindred  with  himself,  it 
claims  kindred  with  the  minutest  and  meanest  thing  he  has 
created. 

Then  in  this  difference  lies  all  that  we  know  of  the  in- 
fluence of  this  principle  of  love.  In  some,  starting  from 
the  hour  when  the  body  first  enters  this  world,  it  burns  in 
its  physical  existence  like  a  bright  and  glorious  light ; 
dimly  and  feebly  flickering  in  another,  it  lingers  out  a 
miserable  existence,  feeding  not  on  that  which  is  congenial 
to  itself  on  earth,  but  on  its  own  nature  in  itself.  It  seems 
as  if  there  it  could  find  nothing  to  assimilate  with  on  earth. 
Daring  and  bold,  flashing  and  sparkling  in  another,  it  seems 
to  sweep  every  thing  away  from  its  path  till  it  reaches  the 
verge  of  this  existence,  and  then  finding  itself  free  from  its 
mortal  trammels,  it  ushers  itself  into  the  next  existence  in 
one  glorious  and  gorgeous  manifestation  of  its  divine  na- 
ture. 

But,  then,  what  of  all  this?  Shall  we,  who  know  and 
feel  what  this  love  is,  shall  we  feel  it — know  it — live  by  it 
— enjoy  by  it — rise  by  it — and  ascend  to  those  glorious 
spheres  by  it,  and  neglect  to  tell  you  what  it  is  ?  Is  there 
a  mind  among  you,  my  children,  that  can  answer  me  this 
question.  What  are  the  duties  which  love  requires  of  you  ? 
And,. my  children,  though  I  have  come  to  you,  though  the 
intercourse  I  have  had  with  you  has  even  on  my  own  na- 
ture had  its  blessing  and  its  profit,  can  you  not  feel  that 
this  is  an  important  question  ?  And  then  are  you  to  love 
the  world,  and  in  that  love  be  willing  to  do  them  good,  to 
labor,  to  give,  to  feel,  to  suffer,  to  sympathize,  to  heal,  to 
assuage,  and  yet  not  be  willing  to  do  yet  more  ?  Think  you 
that  these  efforts  are  enough  ? 

Why  say  you,  God  has  gifted  me  with  these  various 
emotions  of  the  mind,  and  I  can  not  love  what  is  distaste- 
ful to  it,  and  yet  you  can  love  what  is  congenial  ?  And 
is  not  God's  creation  from  the  zoophite  to  man  all  con- 


356  SPIRITUALISM. 

genial  to  his  law,  and  is  not  this  love  from  God?  Does 
it  not  pervade  his  whole  nature  ?  Does  it  not  emanate 
from  him  in  radiant  streams  of  light  to  each  through  the 
spheres,  lighting  up  those  glorious  abodes  with  the  very 
holy  light  of  himself,  and  make  it  all  one  on  this  platform  ? 
What  heart,  then,  sends  its  cold  chill  of  uncongeniality  be- 
cause it  feels  it  can  not  have  the  same  tastes,  and  likes, 
and  hopes  as  another  ?  Is  not  his  gorgeous  bow  the  very 
arch  of  love  through  which  all  must  rise  from  one  sphere 
to  another?  And  when  the  million  souls  that  are  now 
wending  their  way  to  the  eternal  spheres  shall  arrive  there, 
will  they  not  bask  in  those  glorious  beams  that  make  no 
refracting  ray  ? 

Then  shall  it  be  said  to  that  heart  which  yearns  for  an- 
other's love,  that  it  shall  not  be  given  to  him  ?  If  you  can 
love,  you  can  love  one  as  well  as  another.  And  yet,  O! 
let  me  ask  you.  Have  you  loved  truly,  holy,  purely,  and 
well  ?  The  divine  law  which  says.  Love  ye  one  another ! 
comprises  what  I  have  said ;  but  I  charge  you,  oh !  my 
children !  dear  to  me  as  the  summer  breeze  to  the  brow  of 
the  sick  man,  or  as  the  perfume  of  the  morning  flower  as  it 
sends  its  essence  up  to  God!  O,  how  I  love  you!  How 
my  heart  opens  to  you,  as  if  in  itself  it  could  shelter  you 
all !  How  much  joy  I  have  felt  in  coming  with  my  friend, 
and  this  man's  friend,  and  all  your  friends,  and  aiding  your 
advance  and  progress  in  the  truth !  But  I  charge  you — be- 
ware !  I  charge  you  once  again,  and  I  do  the  work  of  my 
Father  when  I  say  to  you,  Beware !  for  ye  canst  turn  love 
into  that  which  is  worse  than  hate.  Guard  this  attribute 
which  is  coexistent  with  your  birth,  but  do  not  foster  it  to 
gratify  that  which  arises  from  no  heavenly  source. 

Children,  I  bless  you,  and  O  !  may  the  sweet  calm  of  the 
spheres  rest  on  each  heart,  and  may  your  life  here  be  one 
of  holy  joy  till  I  meet  you  in  the  spheres. 

After  a  brief  pause  it  was  said  : 

Judge,  Sweedenborg  has  been  talking  now.  He  has  oc- 
cupied some  little  time.     Shall  I  go  on,  or  not? 


SPIRITUALISM.  357 

I  answered  Yes ;  and  then  through  myself  it  was  said  : 

Do  you  not  all  perceive  that  your  soul — the  life-princi- 
ple— call  it  what  you  will,  has,  during  this  primary  exist- 
ence, as  it  were,  two  existences?  One,  if  I  may  so  say, 
living  in  tlie  material  body,  deriving  its  thoughts  from  ma- 
terial objects  and  through  material  organs,  and  the  other 
existing  independent  of  the  body,  deriving  its  thoughts  and 
its  knowledge  from  sources  unconnected  with  it  ? 

How  can  I  make  you  fully  understand  a  proposition  so 
important  to  be  understood?  Let  me  take  this  as  an  illus- 
tration. Go  with  me  into  one  of  your  churches.  You  see 
beauty  of  proportion,  massiveness  of  structure,  elegance  of 
taste,  and  conveniences  for  animal  comforts.  These  are 
ideas  you  derive  from  your  physical  senses.  You  see  and 
feel  these  things. 

Directly  by  the  side  of  that  building  there  is  another,  in 
which  you  see  the  same  massiveness  and  beauty.  Thus 
with  your  material  senses  you  go  in  those  buildings,  but 
there  is  something  in  you  which  enables  you  to  go  a  step 
further,  and  while  you  stand  looking  at  them,  taking  in 
these  ideas,  you  do  not  stop  there — you  go  beyond  the 
senses.  Your  mind  looks  upon  one  as  a  spot  in  which  the 
worship  of  God  is  had,  and  the  other  as  a  gambling-house. 
While  thus  looking,  neither  is  in  actual  use,  yet  to  you 
one  is  holy  and  the  other  repulsive.  Why  is  this  ?  What 
is  it  that  makes  you  see  this  ?  The  dual  existence  of  the 
soul  independent  of  the  body. 

You  are  the  master  of  a  ship  out  of  sight  of  land — what 
directs  you  to  port  ?     Your  mind. 

It  is  with  this  existence  that  we  commune.  First  with 
the  material — then  with  the  spiritual  or  higher  nature. 
How  it  is  that  we  thus  commune,  I  can  not  now  tell.  In 
time  it  will  be  made  known  to  you.  But  it  is  this  some- 
thing which  is  of  you,  which,  like  your  other  faculties,  im- 
proves by  culture,  which  enables  us  to  commune  with  you. 
Unless  you  have  analyzed  and  studied  your  own  minds 
you  can  not  comprehend  this.     But  those  of  you  who  have 


358'  SPIRITUALISM. 

turned  your  thoughts  within  yourselves  and  learned  to  un- 
derstand your  own  powers  and  attributes,  can  well  look  up 
beyond  the  material  objects  which  surround  you,  and  com- 
prehend the  source  whence  the  soul  may  derive  its  inspira- 
tion and  its  divine  knowledge. 

Is  there  any  reason  why  we  may  not,  as  well  before  death 
as  after  it,  thus  commune  and  thus  approach  that  invisible 
Source  of  light  and  knowledge  ? 

Look  within  yourselves,  and  trace  the  association  of  ideas. 
Follow  a  thought  with  all  its  strange  connections,  through 
all  its  devious  windings,  back  to  the  concealed  recesses  of 
its  origin,  and  see  how  often  it  is  that  that  origin  is  not  of 
this  earth,  and  springs  not  from  any  material  object,  but 
from  this  communion  of  spirit  with  spirit. 

This,  which  seems  so  strange  to  you,  is  very  clear  to  us, 
and  we  know  how  far  more  close  the  intercourse  will  here- 
after be,  for  we  know  how  much  more  intimate  is  the  con- 
nection between  the  two  existences,  the  material  and  the 
spiritual,  than  you  do  or  can  well  conceive. 

Much,  however,  depends  upon  yourselves — make  your- 
selves accessible  to  us,  and  we  come — make  yourselves  in- 
accessible, and  we  are  obliged  to  depart  from  you.  And 
O  !  believe,  much  of  your  happiness  hereafter  must  depend 
upon  your  intercourse  with  the  brighter  spirits,  who,  in  the 
performance  of  their  mission  return  to  earth  to  guide,  direct, 
and  enlighten  you. 


SFIBITTTALISM.  359 


ttiim  Jfortg-si,^. 


Monday  J  Jan.  9,  1854. 

The  circle  met  this  evening  at  Dr.  Dexter's.  After  sitting  a  short 
time,  Sweedenborg  came  and  spoke  to  us  through  Mrs.  S.  as  follows  : 

Dear  children,  the  love  I  bear  you  is  this  night  strength- 
ened by  the  childlike  patience  and  earnest  hope  with 
which  you  await  our  coming  among  you.  The  spirit  of 
peace  and  calmness  shall  overshadow  your  spirits  in  their 
communings  of  love  and  wisdom  with  the  gentle  spirits 
who  now  surround  you,  and  love  and  joy  shall  rest  upon 
each  one  present  as  a  white-winged  dove,  sent  with  glad 
tidings  from  the  celestial  mansions  of  holiness.  Many  of 
your  spirit-friends  are  present  now.  Each  and  every  one 
has  a  word  which  he  would  like  to  say.  They  have  not 
yet  decided  on  the  course  they  will  pursue,  but  wish  you 
to  have  an  opinion  about  it  yourselves  and  speak  your 
wishes,  and  if  we  see  they  are  governed  by  wisdom  we 
will  comply  so  far  as  we  are  capable  of  doing. 

The  circle  now  requested  that  the  teachings  might  be  of  a  general 
character,  so  that  others  also  might  be  benefited  by  them. 
Sweedenborg  replied  : 

That  is  the  best  to  begin  with,  and  then,  if  the  medium 
is  willing,  the  friends  will  speak.  Gently  and  lovingly 
their  influence  would  surround  her,  not  to  annoy  her  in 
mind  or  body. 

O  my  dear  children,  the  atmosphere  here  to-night  is  ao 
calm  and  «o«tu^  ^n  ang«i  might  soar  through  it  with 
unruffled  pinion,  where  human  hearts  are  in  such  beautiful 
harmony  with  spirit-presence. 


360  SPIRITUALISM. 

Sweedenborg  now  left,  and  the  medium  was  influenced  by  another  spirit. 
She  was  made  to  kneel  and  bow  her  head  to  the  earth,  and  went  through 
the  pantomime  of  putting  handsful  of  earth  upon  her  head.  Rising, 
she  uttered  the  word,  "  Friends."  Again  kneeling  in  our  midst,  with 
the  utmost  humility,  she  again  seemed  to  put  dust  upon  her  head.  After 
which  she  arose  and  said  : 

Dear  friends,  I  have  been  sent  here  this  evening  to  tell 
you  how  the  proud  spirit  and  haughty  will  have  been 
humbled. 

When  I  dwelt  on  the  earth,  people  called  me  a  queen. 
They  humbled  themselves  before  me — they  approached 
me  with  deference  and  respect.  Oh !  they  honored  me 
highly  because  of  my  high  station.  Yes,  the  mighty  men 
of  the  nation  honored  me,  and  kings  paid  me  homage ! 
They  called  me  wise  and  beautiful — they  said  that  virtue 
and  wisdom  shone  in  my  countenance,  and  that  love  and 
charity  were  my  daily  companions.  O  yes,  they  said  I 
was  possessed  of  every  gentle  virtue  and  every  trait  lovely 
in  woman !  And-  still  they  knew  not  my  heart.  .  They 
knew  not  the  love  of  applause,  the  feelings  of  ambition 
and  selfishness  which  reigned  in  my  bosom,  nor  the  feel- 
ings of  revenge  which  I  cherished  toward  those  who 
thwarted  me  in  my  imperious  will.  And  while  the  nation 
were  lauding  my  goodness  beyond  all  human  comparison, 
my  heart  was  naught  but  the  abode  of  earthly  and  vain 
passions.  It  is  true  there  were  times  when  my  better  in- 
stincts would  assume  their  sway  and  admonish  me  in  my 
wrong-doing.  But  the  still;  small  voice  was  quickly  hush- 
ed by  the  continued  sound  of  flattery  and  empty  show 
which  surrounded  me.  Surely  it  was  not  much"of  an  ef- 
fort to  smile  and  look  gay  when  every  face  took  its  refl.ex 
from  mine ;  for  the  voice  of  grief  or  suffering  was  never 
permitted  to  reach  my  ear,  save  w^hen  my  own  spirit  groan- 
ed in  bitterness,  warring  over  the  pent-up  fires  of  my  own 
raging  heart.  Eor  there  wc^^  uiiic,«  ^-imtiq-  mv  life  when, 
had  I  been  free  and  unattended,  I  would  have  cast  myseii* 
into  the  peaceful  waters  of  the  river,  so  that  the  former 


SPIRITUALISM.  361 

struggles  and  passions  might  be  buried  forever  in  oblivion. 
And  what  was  religion  to  me  but  a  cloak  ?  The  holy  father 
who  confessed  me  dealt  leniently  with  my  most  serious 
offenses.  He  smiled  upon  me  and  called  me  the  anointed 
of  God  ;  until  there  was  no  sanctity  left  to  shroud  religion 
in  when  I  w^as  brought  before  the  judgment-seat  of  the 
church;  and  I  always  felt  as  one  who  was  licensed  to 
commit  sin  with  a  high  hand ;  no  word  of  reproach  or 
censure  was  ever  given  me.  But  still  my  spirit  felt  its 
own  blackness  and  impurity.  I  knew  how  far  separated 
from  the  pure  and  beautiful  visions  of  heaven  were  my 
vain,  earthly  thoughts.  My  childhood's  moments  had  been 
innocent  and  pure,  and  with  a  spirit  joyous  and  happy  I 
had  gloried  and  reveled  in  all  things  beautiful  in  nature. 
These  thoughts,  these  halcyon  hours  of  pleasure  left  no 
sting  behind.  They  were  now  the  only  rays  of  sunshine 
that  came  across  my  brief  career,  as  some  dim  and  half- 
forgotten  dream  of  Paradise.  The  hours  of  my  childhood 
now,  indeed,  seemed  as  a  fairy  dream  in  their  purity  and 
happiness,  compared  with  the  hollow  world  which  sur- 
rounded me.  My  soul  had  once  drank  deep  draughts  of 
joy  and  consolation  from  the  perusal  of  the  works  of  the 
good  and  the  pure  who  had  lived  before  me.  And  I  re- 
membered the  past  pleasure  with  which  I  had  communed 
with  the  thoughts  of  those  spirits  who  now  dwelt,  I  knew 
not  where.  I  indeed  conceived  it  to  be  all  a"  dream, ^a 
pleasant,  a  deceitful  dream  ;  for  nowhere  could  I  now  turn 
to  find  the  sympathy,  the  communion  of  which  I  had  once 
partaken.  I  knew  my  imperfections,  but,  alas]  they  would 
not  let  me  speak  of  them.  When  I  spoke  to  my  spiritual 
adviser  of  the  sore  trouble  and  travail  of  my  spirit  because 
of  her  sinful  bonds,  he,  presumptuous  man !  forgave  me 
my  sins.  Oh  L  he  did  not  remove  the  load  under  which 
my  ppirit  groaned  !  He  only  moved  the  surface,  he  only 
caused  the  voice  to  sink  deeper  within,  so  that  its  tones 
sounded  not  so  loudly  without.  And  when  my  life  had 
been  spent  thuf^  ^**^  ^"-  «i«-»in5  in^i-Tr.  iin*fc  -nrcvo  evil  (T  now 


362  SPIRITUALISM. 

feel  thus),  and  little  that  was  really  good,  my  spirit  passed 
from  my  temple  of  clay.  O  yes,  surrounded  by  weeping 
minions — supported,  and  consoled,  and  strengthened,  as 
others  thought,  by  the  pillars  of  the  church,  the  anointed 
ones — surrounded  on  all  sides  by  a  profusion  of  wealth,  and 
ostentation,  and  honors — forgiven  my  sins  at  the  last  hour 
of  my  life  by  one  as  erring  as  myself,  I  departed,  soon  to 
be  forgotten  by  those"who  had  professed  to  adore  me,  who 
had  almost  worshiped  my  very  footsteps  !  But  the  spirit 
had  fled — naught  but  the  dust  remained ;  and  how  soon  that 
dust  becomes  a  loathsome  thing  to  those  to  whom  it  had 
once  appeared  as  the  most  beautiful  thing  in  existence ! 

When  I  entered  the  spirit- wo  rid,  I  thought  I  should  still 
be  a  queen,  not  of  a  nation,  but  still  a  queen  of  subjects. 
It  seemed  that  I  had  been  formed  for  a  queen — that  royal 
blood  coursed  in  my  veins — that  my  ancestors  had  been 
kings  and  queens  far  back  in  the  archives  of  time;  and  it 
seemed  a  birthright  which  I  never  should  have  to  forego, 
not  even  in  heaven.  I  had  pondered  much  on  the  state 
after  death,  during  my  life,  but  my  ideas  had  never  been 
clear  in  this  respect.  What  I  learned  was  mostly  from  the 
study  of  the  Scriptures.  The  teachings  I  listened  to  spoke 
not  much  of  a  hell,  but  described  heaven  ;  and  my  weary 
heart  had  oft  wished  for  the  rest  of  a  heaven ;  and  I  had 
also  felt  that,  impure  as  I  was,  I  could  be  no  fit  inhabitant 
to  enjoy  so  pure  a  place.  And  now,  as  I  gazed  about  me 
in  that  land  of  shadows  (as  it  seemed),  how  rapidly  all 
these  things  ran  through  my  mind  !  I  felt  as  though  1 
must  be  cared  for — I  must  be  caressed — I  must  be  wel- 
comed, because  of  my  former  station.  I  looked  about  me 
in  vain  to  find  some  vast  assembly  of  persons  coming  to 
honor  me — coming  to  convey  me  in  triumph  to  my  des- 
tined home.  But  I  saw  none,  and  I  wandered  along  in 
doubt  and  uncertainty,  first  gazing  here,  and  then  there. 
My  steps  were  wonderfully  upheld.  I  knew  not  upon 
what  I  was  treading,  and  yet  I  was  traveling  rapidly  in  a 

utJW   and    uiiKuuwii   place  ,ciud.   lVcL£ut;iJi;l3'  J   bfif.arnA   firpd 


SPIEITTJALISM. 

and  weary,  for  my  journey  seemed  to  lengthen,  and  my 
prospects  grew  no  better.  I  thought  within  myself,  they 
have  not,  been  apprised  of  my  coming,  they  have  not 
expected  me,  or  some  of  my  former  friends  would  come 
and  welcome  me.  And  now  I  grew  sad.  I  had  gone  a 
long  distance,  moved  by  the  invisible  power  which  iip- 
held  my  footsteps,  but  I  had  been  cheered  by  no  ray,  and 
I  sat  down  by  the  wayside  and  wept  bitterly,  O  how  bit- 
terly !  I  felt  so  lonely  and  deserted !  I  was  no  queen 
now,  with  willing  subjects  to  obey  my  look  and  nod. 
There  were  no  submissive  attendants  to  minister  to  my 
weariness  and  despair ;  none  ready  to  raise  my  drooping 
spirits  with  music,  or  their  counsel,  or  comfort.  But  here 
I  sat  all  alone  and  deserted  by  the  wayside  !  yes,  as  lone 
and  wretched  as  the  veriest  beggar  that  had  ever  prayed 
for  bread  at  the  gates  of  my  palace !  And  now  I  was 
filled  with  anxious  reflections.  I  seemed  to  look  back 
upon  my  past  life,  and  compare  it  with  my  present  exist- 
ence, so  new  to  me,  and  to  ask  myself,  who,  indeed,  am  I, 
and  what  am  I  ?  Am  I  not  more  than  the  common  herd  ? 
Am  I  not  still  a  queen  above  my  subjects  ?  Oh  !  how  my 
proud  heart  swelled  nigh  unto  bursting,  now  when  I  felt 
how  insignificant  I  was  when  stripped  of  all  my  surround- 
ings !  My  tears  were  those  of  anguish,  and  shame,  and  rage, 
and  disappointment.  Long  time. I  mused  and  wept.  Final- 
ly a  calm,  a  change  seemed  to  pass  over  my  troubled  heart, 
but  I  felt,  oh  !  how  deeply,  every  unworthy  act  of  my  past 
life.  My  former  misdeeds,  the  efi'ects  of  my  baser  pas- 
sions, which  had  left  their  impress  upon  others,  now  stood 
forth  before  me  in  bold  relief.  I  now  felt  that  every  good 
deed,  every  gentle  feeling  of  love,  or  charity,  or  mercy 
which  I  had  been  led  to  perform  or  indulge,  cast  a  heav- 
enly calm  upon  me,  and  took  away  the  fierceness  and  the 
anguish  of  my  bitter  grief.  The  remembrance  of  these 
was  clothed  in  a  soft,  silvery  light,  O  how  beautiful ! 
Those  deeds  of  mercy  now  cheered  and  comforted  my 
troubled  spirit ;  and  again  I  wept ;  but  they  were  tears  of 


364:  .  SPIRITUALISM. 

penitence,  of  contrition,  which  soothed  and  quieted  me, 
and  brought  up  a  hope  from  the  lowest  chambers  of  my 
soul  that  I  might  yet  be  able  to  perform  something  more 
worthy  those  pleasures  I  had  experienced.  While  indulg- 
ing in  these  thoughts  and  wishes  of  what  I  might  do,  and 
regrets  of  what  I  had  done,  I  looked  up,  and  beside  me 
stood  a  female.  She  was  exceedingly  fair  and  beautiful  to 
behold.  There  was  a  look  of  heavenly  dignity  and  benefi- 
cence in  her  face,  and  her  whole  being  seemed  pervaded 
with  such  gentleness  that  I  was  encouraged  to  speak.  She 
held  forth  her  hand  and  called  me  sister.  She  asked  me 
if  !•  was  weary,  in  such  mild  and  gentle  accents,  that  my 
tears  flowed  afresh,  and  I  yearned  for  her  sympathy.  I 
now  poured  out  my  sorrows,  and  begged  her  to  lead  me  to 
some  more  genial  spot.  I  told  her  I  had  been  a  queen  on 
earth  ;  and  when  I  said  this  she  smiled  sadly,  and  said, 
"There  are  no  queens  in  this  our  country,  save  queens  of 
love  and  purity — those  who  excel  in  love  of  their  fellows, 
and  whose  good  works  make  their  faces  shine  with  wis- 
dom, and  who  are  ever  bearing  good  tidings  to  those  on 
earth.     These  are  the  only  queens  we  have  here." 

I  was  amazed  at  her  words.  I  had  not  conceived  that  I 
should  be  as  the  commonest  subject  of  my  kingdom,  un- 
noted and  unnoticed.  T  spoke  of  many  who  had  gone 
before  me,  and  wished  I  might  be  led  to  them.  I  spoke 
of  the  joys  and  dazzling  beauties  of  heaven,  which  had 
been  described  to  me  during  my  life.  She  told  me  that 
my  former  friends  were  all  engaged  in  different  occupa- 
tions. I  was  surprised  again,  for  I  had  not  supposed  an 
occupation  was  consistent  with  heavenly  enjoyment;  for 
the  mariner  in  which  she  spoke  led  me  to  suppose  that  the 
occupations  consisted  of  labor  more  than  enjoyment.  She 
gazed  in  my  eyes,  and  told  me  I  was  but  an  untutored 
child  in  the  knowledge  of  the  life  which  was  called  the 
hereafter.  She  said  that  my  spirit's  best  intuitions  had 
been  repressed,  that  the  baser  part  of  my  nature  had  been 
called  forth  and  developed  by  my  worldly  career ;  and  I 


SPIRITUALISM.  365 

must  now  begin  to  live  truly  the  life  which  leads  to  eter- 
nal happiness.  She  said  my  friends  were  all  progressing 
in  their  eternal  journey,  and  that  I  must  follow  them,  for 
they  could  not  return  to  me. 

I  questioned  her  about  my  former  life,  and  found  she 
knew  every  thing  concerning  me !     She  told  me  she  had 
been  my  guardian  spirit  while  I  inhabited  the  body,  and 
had  endeavored  in  manifold  ways  to   approach  me  and 
whisper  gentle  words  of  admonition  and  warning  in  my 
ears.     At  times  she  had  led  me  by  the  spirit  of  gentleness 
and  love.     At  times  I  had  repelled  her  by  my  own  evil  con- 
duct, and  had  allowed  spirits  who  only  loved  darkness, 
and  to  deceive  men's  souls  by  their  arts,  to  approach  me 
with  their  counsel  and  advice.     O  how  I  wept  when  she 
told  me  these  things  ?     And  she  moreover  said  I  must  for- 
get that  I  had  been  once  a  queen  on  earth,  for  none  but 
the  humble  in  spirit  might  hope  to  become  even  as  a  little 
child  in  this  land  of  love.     I  now  saw  I  must  lay  aside  all 
my  formier  dignity  and  love  of  flattery,  and  be  led  by  this 
lovely  spirit's  counsel.     We  walked  until  we  arrived  at  a 
pleasant  mansion,  wherein  we  entered.     I  was  here  greeted 
by  several  spirits  who  welcomed  me  candidly  and  pleas- 
antly, but  paid  me  no  deference,  and  seemed  not  to  know  I 
had  been  a  queen.     And  the  spirit  who  had  conducted  me, 
said,  "This  is  the  dwelling  wherein  you  must  take  your 
first  lessons  in  self-denial,  and  in  divesting  yourself  of 
those  worldly  notions  which  will  be  so  prejudicial  to  your 
future  happiness.     Those  persons  about  you  will  be  ever 
willing  to  assist  you  witl?  kind  and  gentle  words  when  you 
need  such  help ;  but  you  must  perform  the  labor  of  ref- 
ormation for  yourself  and  within  yourself;  you  must  be- 
come as  lowly  and  as  loving  as  those  who  surround  you ; 
you  must  even  become  as  the  little  flower  whose  head  is 
bowed  toward  the  earth,  as  if  in  humility,  lest  the  sun's 
rays  might  fall  upon  it  with  too  great  and  overpowering  a 
a  splendo;*.      My  dear  child,  your  heavenly  nature  was 
formed  to  be  pure  and  gentle — to  be  loving  and  kind — to 


366  SPIRITUALISM. 

benefit  others  by  your  gentle  counsels,  and  to  sympathize 
in  the  sorrows  of  the  human  heart.  But  the  world  placed 
you  upon  a  dangerous  pedestal,  which  only  made  you 
wretched  and  unhappy.  Your  higher  and  better  nature 
was  ever  struggling  to  gain  the  ascendency  over  the  mate- 
rial grossness  which  surrounded  you,  and  the  mighty  con- 
flict only  sickened  and  wearied  your  spirit.  And  this  is 
why  life  seemed  so  hateful  and  hollow  at  times.  The  sin 
was  not  yours,  my  child,  but  it  was  the  sin  of  circumstan- 
ces and  of  corrupt  teachings,  of  fawning  counsels  and 
of  selfish  aggrandizement.  These  obstructions,  conne(?ted 
with  others,  are  now  removed ;  but,  my  child,  all  the 
earthly  clouds  of  error  which  an  earthly  existence  devel- 
oped are  still  within  thine  own  bosom,  and  it  is  now  thy 
labor  to  erase  them  all,  until  there  shall  not  be  left  the 
faintest  trace  of  their  former  existence.  These  will  pain 
thee  and  harass  thy  soul's  comfort,  and,  until  they  are 
all  effaced,  will  still  give  thee  the  same  sad  feelings 
which  they  did  on  earth.  There  will  be  no  outward  foe 
here  to  battle  with.  Within  thyself  must  the  victory  be 
obtained.  Then  tarry  not,  my  cliild,  but  begin  thy  labor 
immediately  ;  and  when  thy  heart  becomes  so  filled  with 
the  love  of  God  that  thou  shalt  want  to  go  forth  and  take 
the  beggar,  and  the  lame,  and  the  blind  by.  the  hand, 
and  feed  the  hungry,  and  bind  up  the  broken-hearted, 
and  say  to  the  erring:  'Sister,  I  am  thy  sister  and  friend, 
and  will  lead  thee  in  the  path  of  love  and  goodness,' 
then  wilt  thou  be  fit  to  mingle  with  the  loving  spirits 
who  do  their  Father's  will ;  and  then  shall  thy  face  and 
thy  whole  being  shine  with  far  more  transcendent  beau- 
ty than  that  which  was  upon  thee  when  thou  wast  clad 
in  thy  regal  robes.  When  thy  good  w^orks  shall  have 
purified  and  refined  thy  being  in  this  sphere,  O  then, 
thou  hast  in  prospect  a  glorious  flight  to  another.  There 
shalt  thou  see  the  heavenly  city  whose  foundation  is  made 
without  hands.  There  shalt  thou  mingle  with  the  pure  in 
spirit,  whose  voices  will  greet  thine  ear  in  tones  of  music 


*  SPIRITUALISM.  367 

soft  as  an  JEolian  harp.  Oh!  what  joy  and  glory,  what 
rapture  and  delight  await  the  transfigured  soul !  Thou 
shalt  mingle  with  beings  whose  purity  will  shed  a  light 
about  thee,  and  cause  a  heavenly  glow  to  pervade  thy 
whole  being ;  and  thou  mayest  walk  by  the  shining  rivers 
of  love  and  lave  thy  body  in  their  placid  waters;  and 
weariness  shall  not  overtake  thee,  no  sorrow  shall  enter 
that  place.  The  love  of  the  most  high  God  dwells  in  and 
pervades  all  things  here,  where  no  grossness  can  enter. 
The  elements  of  discord  and  inharmony  approach  not  that 
place,  but  the  voices  of  angels,  singing  never-ceasing 
praises,  are  borne  down  on  every  breeze,  and  find  a  glad 
response  from  every  heart  which  dwells  therein." 

Oh  !  now  I  wished  I  had  never  lived,  I  had  become  so 
wrapped  in  wonder  and  amazement  while  she  spoke  of 
that  glorious  place ;  and  then  the  long-forgotten  dreams  of 
childhood  stole  softly  across  my  memory.  Ah  !  then  I  felt 
it  was  true.  I  felt  that  in  the  purity  and  happiness  of  my 
childhood's  home  the  bright  angels  from  the  far-ofif  realms 
had  whispered  those  thoughts  into  my  heart,  for  I  was 
then  less  material,  more  natural.  The  connection  between 
that  glorious  land  and  my  spirit  had  been  more  close  in 
my  childhood's  hours  than  when  I  had  mingled  with  the 
world  and  partaken  of  its  character. 

And  now  she  breathes  a  blessing  upon  me ;  she  tells  me 
to  labor,  to  love,  to  persevere  ;  and  she  leaves  me  to  re- 
turn to  her  bright  reward  far  beyond  me.  But  she  says  I 
shall  see  her  when  I  have  worked  out  the  mission  which  it 
is  my  part  to  perform.  She  bids  me  be  careful,  be  watch- 
ful, for  there  are  earnest  eyes  and  loving  hearts  gazing  down 
and  beckoning  me  upward.  Oh !  who  would  not  labor ;  who 
would  not  be  a  beggar ;  who  would  not  forego  all  ear,thly 
honors,  that  they  might  hereafter  be  permitted  to  be  only  one 
of  the  least  in  the  house  of  God,  in  the  gates  of  Heaven  ? 

Previous  to  the  communication  being  finished,  Mr.  Warren  asked  what 
her  name  was?  She  now  replied  by  saying,  "My  name  is  Humility; 
once  it  was  Pride  " 


368  SPIRITUALISM. 


tttin  isxi^'Ukn. 


Monday,  Feb.  18,  1854. 

The  circle  met  at  Dr.  Dexter's  house.  Present,  five  of  the  members, 
as  at  the  last  meeting. 

The  following  was  given  through  Mrs.  S.  : 

A  pooK  old  man  comes  in  jour  midst,  bending  beneath 
the  weight  of  a  heavy  load,  and  surely  he  looks  as  though  he 
would  rather  part  with  life  itself  than  with  that  dearly-loved 
treasure.  He  comes  to  you  bearing  the  same  appearance 
he  did  when  he  left  your  earth.  He  was  not  of  your  coun-' 
try  nor  kind,  but  lived  in  a  distant  part  of  your  globe. 
We  well  let  him  give  his  own  history. 

The  spirit  said  that  the  miser  did  not  influence  the  medium  himself, 
but  gave  his  history,  which  was  repeated  by  the  spirit  controlling  the 
medium. 

Fellow-mortals,  I  have  been  instructed  to  come  here  to- 
night and  give  a  brief  sketch  of  my  former  and  present 
life.  I  do,  indeed,  come  with  my  much-loved  treasure  in 
my  arms.  I  come,  bearing  the  empty  emblem  of  that 
which  constituted  my  all-engrossing  happiness  while  on 
earth — the  gold,  the  yellow  gold,  which  alone  my  soul 
craved  "  as  its  food  and  its  drink,"  as  its  highest  felicity 
and  joy.  With  what  bitterness  and  regret  I  look  back 
upon  my  earthly  career.  Ah,  me  !  I  must  look  back,  there 
is  no  help  for  it. 

I  bowed  down  all  the  energies  of  my  soul  to  the  accu- 
mulation of  this  one  idol.  Ay  !  my  very  soul  itself  bowed 
down  daily  and  worshiped  it  as  a  God,  whose  possession 
would  confer  happiness  and  joy  upon  my  whole  existence. 
The  predominance  of  this  passion,  repressed  all  that  was 


SPIRITUALISM.  369 

good  and  noble  within  me.  It  made  me  grasping  and  nig- 
gardly— it  made  me  deaf  to  the  voice  of  sympathy  and 
love — it  chilled  my  very  heart's  core  with  its  golden,  its 
false  glitter.  And  when  a  soft  and  gentle  voice  within  me 
besought  a  hearing,  I  would  lock  myself  up  within  the 
glittering  w^alls  of  my  treasure  and  shut  out  every  emotion 
save  that  of  avarice  and  penury ;  for  this,  alas !  was  my 
daily  companion.  I  used  not  the  comforts  which  God  had 
strewn  so  bountifully  around  me.  My  heart  was  too  sordid 
to  part  with  one  penny,  unless  it  was  to  keep  me  from  ac- 
tually starving.  O  how  I  loved  my  wealth  !  O  how  I 
gazed  upon  it !  How  I  gloated  over  it  daily  and  dreamed 
of  it  nightly,  and  hid  it  away,  lest  any  should  steal  it  out 
of  my  possession  !  And  often,  during  the  hours  of  my  un- 
quiet slumbers,  I  would  start  up  frantically,  thinking  some 
one  had  stolen  my  treasures.  "Wretched,  miserable  miser 
that  I  w^as  !  I  deserve  the  frowns  and  dislike  of  every  hon- 
est and  generous  heart  while  I  make  this  humiliating  con- 
fession. But  how  I  loved  that  dross  I  alone  can  tell — I 
alone  have  felt  the  pangs  which  I  have  endured  in  conse- 
quence of  that  base  passion.  But  finally  .disease  took  a 
strong  hold  upon  my  enfeebled  and  emaciated  frame.  O,  I 
was  no  proud  subject  for  death  to  triumph  over.  In  all 
my  misery  and  rags,  in  all  my  wretchedness  and  filth,  there 
was  but  one  warm  spot  within,  and  that  was  where  I  felt 
the  strong  love  of  my  gold.  O  how  I  hated  to  die  and  be 
buried  beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  leave  that 
treasure  above  it !  I  longed  to  carry  it  with  me,  to  rest 
my  head  upon  it,  that  it  might  be  my  comfort  when  I 
waked  in  the  world  beyond.  And  that  waking !  That 
dreadful,  dismal  waking !  O  how  it  makes  me  shudder 
now  to  think  of  it !  My  first  consciousness  was  that  of 
being  in  darkness  and  coldness,  and  having  lost  my  treas- 
ure. My  treasure !  O  how  I  groaned,  and  wept,  and 
begged  for  that  which  had  been  the  comfort  of  my  life  t 
Every  thing  seemed  gloomy  and  cheerless  without  it ;  and 
when  I  at  last  became  fully  conscious  of  my  position,  how 

24 


3Y0  SPIKITUALISM. 

dreadful,  how  terrible  were  the  thoughts  which  filled  my 
soul !  Oh !  no.  l^o  bright  spirits  approached  me,  no 
kindly  looks  welcomed  me ;  but  beings  as  repulsive  as 
myself  stood  and  beckoned  me  to  their  company.  And  I 
said  within  myself,  O  wretched  man !  thou  hast  doomed 
thyself  to  eternal  misery,  because  of  thy  love  of  earth's 
base  metal !  There  was  nothing  inviting  or  pleasant  in 
the  company  of  those  miserable-looking  beings.  Their 
countenances  expressed  no  other  emotions  save  those  of 
sensual  gratification;- and  all  their  pro-pensities  seemed  to 
be  groveling  and  earthly.  The  eyes  of  my  soul  were  now 
opened.  I  saw  myself,  my  former  life  reflected  back  in 
those  beings  who  were  near  me.  They  wished  my  society, 
but  I  did  not  wish  theirs.  As  dark  and  repulsive  as  I  felt 
my  own  soul  to  be,  their  horrible  appearance  made  me 
rather  wish  to  fly  from  them  than  to  approach.  On  gazing 
at  them  more  closely,  I  saw  that  they  held  tightly  within 
their  grasp  treasures  of  gold.  I  saw  them  hug  them  up  to 
their  bosoms  and  then  they  would  look  toward  me  and 
point  toward  them.  Yes,  it  indeed  seemed  to  be  part  of 
that  I  had  prized  so  highly,  and  which  I  still  coveted  so 
ardently.  I  was  tempted  to  go  near  them  when  they  show- 
ed me  the  treasure,  when  a  bright  form,  which  I  had  not 
before  perceived,  in  a  warning  voice  bade  me  beware  how 
I  trifled  with  my  eternal  happiness.  But  the  love  of  gold 
was  so  strong  within  me,  that  I  could  not  resist  its  plead- 
ings, even  for  the  voice  of  an  angel.  I  had  known  no 
other  God,  and  my  heart  yearned  only  for  its  earthly  idol. 
Tremblingly  I  approached  those  miserable  beings,  and  then, 
O  grief  and  sadness  !  their  arms  contained  naught  but  an 
empty  show,  no  gold  in  reality,  nothing  but  that  which 
wore  the  semblance ;  for  when  I  touched  it,  it  melted  from 
my  gi'asp,  its  very  touch  scorched  my  fingers,  and  then  it 
fell  away  from  my  hungry  view.  O,  then  I  felt  how  lost 
and  wretched  was  my  condition — then  I  wished  that  I 
might  sink  out  of  sight,  or  be  carried  away  where  I  should 
be  remembered  no  more.     But  such  was  not  my  fate.     O 


SPIRITUALISM.  371 

how  they  laughed  at  me  with  a  fiendish  joy.  They  mock- 
ed me,  they  bid  me  behold  the  fruits  of  my  long  labors. 
There  was  a  look  of  exultation,  of  triumph  in  their  coun- 
tenances as  they  witnessed  my  disappointment ;  and  yet 
they,  poor  wretches,  were  ever  grasping  at  the  unreal 
phantom — the  empty  treasure.  And  I  stood  as  one  lost 
and  forsaken  of  God  and  man.  "Who  in  this  vast  space 
around  me  cared  aught,  or  knew  aught,  about  a  poor,  in- 
significant soul  like  me  ?  None  seemed  to  think  of  my  ex- 
istence save  those  poor  wretches,  who  seemed  even  more 
unhappy  than  myself,  for  while  I  knew  how  unreal  their 
treasures  were,  they  were  constantly  grasping  up  that  which 
was  naught  but  empty  air.  They  never  looked  up,  and 
when  a  kindly  voice  was  wafted  to  their  ears  on  the  breezes, 
they  heard  it  not.  'No  joy,  no  comfort  for  them  save  in 
that  unsatisfying  labor  of  accumulating  and  always  losing. 
And  now  I  sank  upon  my  knees  and  buried  my  face  in  my 
hands.  Yea,  I  bowed  my  head  to  the  very  earth,  and  pray- 
ed in  bitterness  and  grief  that  God  would  have  mercy  upon 
me,  worthless  worm  of  the  dust.  O  how  prostrate  my 
spirit  now  laid  in  its  dejection  and  sorrow !  "  Lost,  lost !" 
I  exclaimed  ;  "no  light,  no  mercy  will  beam  upon  me — 
no  bright  angels  will  come  near  me,  no  kindly  voices  will 
cheer  the  solitude  of  this  awful  place."  And  then  a  voice 
said  in  mine  ear,  "  O,  you  will  have  gold,  heaps  of  gold  ; 
cheer  up,  man,  for  you  shall  dine  on  gold  and  sup  your  fill 
of  it  every  day.  You  shall  revel  in  it,  for  we  have  been 
many  years  here.  "We  always  loved  it  and  craved  it.  and 
don't  you  perceive  how  much  of  it  we  possess  ?"  I  turned 
shuddering  away,  for  it  was  one  of  those  dark,  fiend-like 
beings  who  had  spoken  in  my  ear.  "  God  help  me,"  I 
said,  "for  I  am  lost  eternally,  lost  for  my  love  of  gold." 
And  then  a  deep,  calm  voice  spoke  loud  and  clear.  It 
said,  "  O  mortal,  not  lost  for  eternity,  only  thou  hast  lost 
many  years  of  joy  and  happiness  in  thy  spirit-life.  Lost 
eternally  ?  O  no  !  not  eternally,  for  our  God  is  a  just  and 
merciful  God,  and  he  forgives  the  sins  of  his  erring  chil- 


372  SPIRITUALISM. 

dren  when  they  come  to  him  in  meekness  and  humility  of 
spirit.    But,  mortal !  thou  hast  lost  all  the  joys  which  thou 
wouldst  have  experienced  had  thy  hoarded  wealth  been 
given  for  the  good  of  thy  fellow-man — had  thy  cherished 
treasure  only  been  made  useful  in  any  way,  thou  wouldst  not 
now  feel  the  weight  of  sin  and  degradation  which  prostrates 
thy  soul  so  low.     And  now,  frail  mortal,  canst  thou  give 
up  thy  gold,  or  must  thou,  like  those  poor  darkened  souls 
on  the  other  side  of  thee,  still  hug  that  senseless  treasure 
to  thy  heart  ?     Are  thy  thoughts  still  wrapped  up  in  the 
joys  of  that  possession?     If  so,  thou  must  be  like  those 
upon  v/hom  thou  art  gazing.     Poor  spirits,  how  darkened 
are  their  souls  !  and  yet  they  are  not  lost,  no,  not  lost,  but 
they  have  not  yet  thrown  off  the  love  of  earth  and  earthly 
gratifications.     Their  aspirations  are  not  for  the  good  and 
the  pure.     They  think  of  naught  but  gross  animal  pleas- 
ures ;  and  as  long  as  they  desire  such,  as  long  as  they  seek 
no  higher — as  long  as  their  souls  are  wrapped  up  and  lost 
in  such  illusions,  they  can  not  be  less  degraded  than  they 
are.    O  pity  them,  mortal !    To  think  of  the  mau}^  precious 
hours  they  are  losing  in  worshiping  their  earthly  pleas- 
ures !     And  let  it  carry  a  deep  and  lasting  lesson  to  thee, 
ignorant,  selfish,  vain  mortal  that  thou  art !  for  thou  must 
now  see  thyself  in  thy  true  colors.     Repent  and  be  con- 
verted;  thou  hast  many  long  hours,  ay,  years   of  labor 
before  thee.     Why,  thou  art  little  better  than  the  animal 
which  bore  the  animal's  form  and  feature  while  on  earth, 
and  walked  in  a  lonely  position.     Thou  hast  never  shown 
that  thou  possessed  one  attribute  of  a  God-like  soul ;  thou 
didst,  if  it  were  possible,  disgrace  thy  immortal  spirit  by 
the  way  thou  didst  insult  and  keep  it  hid  beneath  thy 
earthly  covering.     It  is  even  now  all  blurred  and  dimmed 
by  the  impurities  of  thy  earthly  life,  and  it  can  not  stand 
forth  in  its  true  dignity  until  thou  hast  labored  long  and 
ardently  to  wash  away  thy  former  sins.     It  lies  with  thy- 
self; begin  now,  choose  the  way  of  hardship  and  labor, 
for  hardship  it  will  be  fpr  thee.     Or  stay  here  and  grovel 


SPIRITUALISM.  STO 

in  the  duSt,  until  thy  soul  shall  become  so  wearied  and 
worn  with  its  profitless  existence,  that  thou  wilt  be  glad  to 
begin  still  farther  off  than  thou  mayest  do  now,  to  wash 
out  thine  iniquities,  and  cause  thy  light  to  shine.  There 
is  much  for  thee  to  do  which  must  be  done.  And  when 
thou  hast  overcome  the  follies  and  sins  of  thy  past  life — 
when  thou  hast  gained  confidence  and  hope  even  in  thy 
ignorance  and  unworthiness,  thou  must  again  descend  to 
those  poor  spirits  who  are .  still  in  so  much  misery.  It  is 
thou  who  must  stretch  forth  thy  hand  and  assist  them,  for 
didst  thou  not,  in  thy  earthly  life,  encourage  them  by  thy 
acts  ?  And  thus  shalt  thou  blot  out  the  memory  of  thy 
sins  until  they  shall  darken  thy  sight  no  longer.  There 
will  be  no  lack  of  instructors  and  kindly  words  of  encour- 
agement. Gladly  will  good  spirits  approach  all  who  do 
not  repel  them.  But  the  labor  lies  within  thyself  Thine 
own  hand  must  hew  down  the  mountains  which  rise  to  bar 
thy  progress  to  that  world  of  purity  and  holiness  which  lies 
far  beyond." 

He  ceased  speaking.  O  blessed  and  hopeful  words  ! 
That  I  am  not  eternally  lost.  My  resolve  was  long  since 
taken,  friends,  and  so  far  have  I  profited  in  my  toilsome 
but  thankful  journey,  that  I  have  come  to  you  in  humilia- 
tion of  spirit  and  with  thankfulness  to  God,  who  has  per- 
mitted me  to  testify  to  his  boundless  love  and  forgiveness 
even  to  such  a  wretch  as  I.     Good-night. 


3T4  SPIRITUALISM. 


« 


nim  Jfffrtj-Mgljl. 


Thursday,  March  30,  1854. 

The  circle  met  at  my  library.  All  were  present,  with  the  addition 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gay,  and  Mrs.  Leeds,  of  Boston. 

The  five  mediums  jjresent — viz.,  the  Doctor,  Mrs.  Sweet,  Mrs.  Leeds, 
Laura,  and  I — were  seated  in  an  inner  circle  by  ourselves,  pursuant  to 
directions  written  through  the  Doctor  : 

The  manifestations  began  by  my  seeing  and  describing  some  of  the 
spirits  who  were  present. 

Among  them  I  saw  Charlemagne,  Voltaire,  Woolsey,  and  Mary  of 
Scotland. 

Chaelemagne  spoke  to  me,  and  reminded  me  of  the  les- 
son which  he  had  given  me  at  Chicago,  for  it  was  as  im- 
portant to  us  as  it  was  to  them,  and  we  ought  to  be 
thankful  for  the  advantage  of  learning  it  during  our  pri- 
mary existence.  Each  owes  a  duty  to  his  fellow-man,  to  aid 
in  his  elevation  and  development,  and  it  was  the  greater  or 
the  less,  according  as  each  was  placed  while  on  earth  in  a 
condition  to  perform  it,  and  sooner  or  later,  on  earth,  or  in 
the  spheres,  it  must  be  performed.  Hence,  they  who, 
when  on  earth,  were  in  situations  which  gave  them  great 
power  over  the  destiny  of  man,  had  devolved  upon  them  a 
greater  duty  than  those  who  were  born  to  a  humble  and 
obscure  condition  of  life,  and  more  was  exacted  from  them. 
Upon  them  rested  a  greater  responsibility,  and  hence  it  was 
that  it  was  they  who  now  so  frequently  appeared  to  us, 
when  the  opportunity  to  approach  man  was  at  length 
afforded  them.  And  it  was  a  sad  truth  that  while  they 
were  thus  drawn  back  to  earth  by  the  stern  dictates  of  this 
duty,  there  were  many,  very  many,  who  in  life  were  ob- 
scure and  humble,  who  now  were  far  in  advance  of  them 


/ 


-?..-^  i. 


SPIKITUALISM.  375 

in  the  spirit- world,  because  within  their  limited  spheres 
they  had  performed  their  whole  duty  to  man,  to  the  extent 
of  the  means  within  their  reach. 

This  law,  he  said,  applied  to  all,  and  upon  us,  who  had 
been  favored  above  our  fellows  with  the  knowledge  now 
pouring  from  a  divine  source  upon  the  earth,  it  devolved  a 
responsibility  far  beyond  theirs,  and  it  behooved  us  to  un- 
derstand it  well,  that  when  we  cast  off  our  mortal  forms, 
we  also  might  not  be  recalled  to  earth,  to  battle  again  with 
its  passions  and  perversions,  because  of  duties  neglected 
or  responsibilities  slighted  by  us  while  here. 

Then,  through  Laura,  it  was  said  : 

Do  you  \inderstand  the  obj  ects  of  self-progression  ?  Why 
do  you  desire  to  become  good  ?  alone  that  you  may  do  good 
to  others  ?  alone  that  you  may  be  elevated  in  intellect,  in 
knowledge,,  and  all  wisdom  ?  That  you  may  associate  with 
the  good,  the  pure,  the  holy,  the  wise?  That  you  may 
draw  up  with  you  others  to  the  same  level  ?  For  general 
good  and  general  purposes,  or  because  in  being  good  you 
may  develop  in  yourselves  the  capacities  to  do  good  to 
others  ? 

K  this  last  remark  be  true,  it  is  important  that  we  exam- 
ine the  conditions,  and  means,  and  results  of  our  own  indi- 
vidual progression. 

Do  we,  when  we  have  felt  our  own  un worthiness,  our  own 
short-coming,  our  ignorance,  and  yet  felt  we  had  powers 
of  mind  capable  of  improvement,  of  progressing,  do  we 
contemplate  the  effort  and  result  for  man's  general  good 
alone,  or  does  the  deejD  yearning  of  the  heart  wake  up  a 
desire,  first  of  all,  for  our  own  good,  that  when  we  have 
learned  to  be  pure,  holy,  and  wise,  and  to  love,  we  may  be 
able  to  disseminate  these  attributes  for  the  good  of  others? 
When  conscious  that  we  are  progressing,  shall  we  assume 
prerogatives  and  rights  that  belong  to  God?  Shall  we 
judge  as  God  judges,  and  punish  as  he  punishes  ?  In 
making  a  law  for  ourselves  do  we  do  away  with  the  laws 


376  SPIRITUALISM. 

that  God  has  established?  When  making  a  path  for  our- 
selves, can  we  avoid  the  highway  which  alone  leads  to 
Heaven  ?  Can  we  arise  upward  and  onward  to  God,  ac- 
quiring in  our  progress  all  the  attributes  which  make  us 
what  we  should  be,  and  yet  sacrifice  the  least  of  the  feel- 
ings of  those  around  us  ? 

Seek  we  for  truth  ?  Search  we  the  hidden  mysteries  of 
our  own  nature,  and  say  we  shall  be  true  in  every  thought 
and  in  every  thought's  utterance,  and  yet  violate  before 
God  the  principles  on  which  truth  is  founded  ? 

Then,  through  the  Doctor,  it  was  said  : 

How  sweet  is  the  air — how  balmy  the  breeze  which  is 
laden  with  the  perfume  of  Heaven's  own  flowers  !  Under- 
neath the  shade  of  a  tall  tree  whose  branches  spread  so 
wide,  and  afford  such  cool,  grateful  shade,  there,  on  the 
bank  of  a  gurgling  brook,  with  flowers,  springing  up  all 
around  me,  embowering  my  seat  with  their  many-colored 
petals,  and  their  perfume  so  sweet — there,  where  the  birds 
warble  their  songs  to  God,  and  spirit-voices  catch  the  tone, 
as  the  spirits  upward  fly  and  .take  the  hymn  to  God's  own 
footstool — where  a  mellow  light  steals  softly  in  and  gives  a 
saddened,  sober  hue  to  every  thing — there,  where  spirits 
are  pure  as  that  beautiful  breeze,  and  as  that  bright  light 
where  they  sit,  hand  in  hand,  talking  of  God,  of  love,  of 
truth,  and  w^orking  for  themselves  and  others — oh !  there, 
where  every  feeling  is  truth,  is  harmony,  is  joy,  seraphic 
and  supreme,  have  I  lingered,  loth  to  quit,  rehictant  to 
come  to' earth. 

I  have  sat  on  that  seat  listening  to  the  gurgling  water, 
drank  in  the  beautiful  air,  listened  to  the  songs  of  bird  and 
spirit,  and  felt  my  whole  nature  moved  in  me  as  it  took  its 
upward  flight  to  Heaven. 

How  strong,  then,  the  claim  which  could  draw  me  back 
to  earth — back  past  all  that  is  so  bright,  so  pure — past  all 
the  associations  which  make  life  one  glorious  day  of  joy 
ecstatic ! 


SPIKITUALISM.  377 

I  have  not  been  with  you  often  of  late,  but  I  bring  with 
me  feelings  fresh  from  a  locality  as  pure,  as  kind,  as  chari- 
table, as  harmonious,  as  merciful,  as  loving  aS  exists. 

Oh  !  will  you  take  them  ?  Will  each  feel  my  blessing, 
filled  with  a  spirit's  love  and  faith,  as  it  descends  on  each  ? 

What  come  I  for  ?  There  are  stern  duties  which  call  us 
back  to  earth.  It  is  long  since  ye  all  met  as  ye  have  now. 
How  many  feelings  have  grown  up  among  you  in  that 
time — how  many  that  were  good  and  noble — how  many 
that  were  evil — how  many  that  retard — how  many  that  ad- 
vance your  progress  ? 

What  seek  ye  the  communion  with  spirits  for  ?  for  knowl- 
edge, for  wisdom,  for  truth,  for  love?  And  out  of  this, 
which  prize  ye  most  ?  All  of  you  have  some  aim  in  search- 
ing out  the  mysterious  truths  of  spiritual  intercourse,  which 
may  benefit  yourselves  and  others. 

But  the  intercourse  would  be  as  worthless  to  ye  all  as 
the  wildest  doctrine  founded  on  no  truth  to  the  heart  that 
hungered  and  thirsted  for  righteousness,  unless  ye  had 
some  motive  for  self  and  others.  Spiritualism,  as  it  should 
be  taught,  comes  to  each  as  a  direct  mission  from  God. 
To  each  it  brings  its  tribute  of  love,  of  grace,  of  kind  en- 
couragement, of  strength,  of  chastening  or  reproof,  or  of 
direction. 

How  has  it  been  with  you  since  last  I  asked  the  ques- 
tion ?  Have  you  done  only  that  which  you  are  willing  to 
lay  open  to  the  broad  daylight?  Has  your  intercourse 
with  the  world  been  such  that  it  might  be  as  open  as  the 
sunshine?  Have  ye  had  no  concealments  that  ye  dare  not 
tell  ?  Have  you  sought  for  truth,  and  gone  along,  boldly 
raising  your  head  to  Heaven,  and  claiming  of  God  the  light 
his  mercy  could  shower  on  your  path  ? 

The  heart  may  yearn  for  truth,  but,  muffled  up  in  its  own 
mantle  of  righteousness,  and  choosing  its  own  path,  it  can 
never  attain  His  high  purity  and  love. 

I  am  impelled  by  my  mission  to  direct  the  heart  that 
struggles  for  light   to   open  doors    and  let  the  prisoned 


378  SPIEITUALISM. 

soul  go  free,  to  remove  the  shackles  that  fetter  the  mind, 
to  breathe  words  of  hope  to  the  desponding,  to  teach  that 
truth  is  to  be  attained  only  by  truth.  You  can  not  make 
the  truth  false.  The  law  of  God  is  supreme,  and  whatever 
runs  counter  to  it  in  its  demonstration,  perverts  that  which 
might  perfect  ourselves  or  others. 

What  is  our  duty  ?  Can  we  fashion  it  ourselves  to  suit 
our  tastes  and  purposes  ?  The  soul  that  receives  truth  in 
its  inner  self  needs  no  law  to  govern  or  direct  it.  The  law 
springs  up  in  itself,  and  the  truth  lights  it  to  its  proper 
demonstration. 

After  all,  God  indeed  knoweth  onr  secret  thoughts,  and 
I  tell  you  that  the  thoughts  of  yon  all  are  known  to  some 
spirits,  not,  perhaps,  to  one,  or  any  of  your  usual  number 
who  surround  you ;  but  there  are  spirits  who  know  them, 
and  the  act  which  militates  in  this  day,  with  all  appliances 
of  spiritual  intercourse,  will  surely  be  found  and  sent  back 
to  the  heart  whence  it  sprung.  But  there  is  a  nobler  ob- 
ject, a  higher,  holier  purpose  to  govern  you — the  desire  to 
make  yourselves  holy  and  pure,  even  as  He  is  pure ;  and 
when  3^ou  give  evidence  of  all  those  attributes  which  be- 
long to  the  Father,  how  little  you  feel  of  earth  !  The  soul, 
indeed,  casts  off  its  shell  and  stands  in  its  own  individual- 
ity free,  but  bound  by  cords  stronger  than  human  ingenu- 
ity ever  devised  to  the  eternal  Source  of  Truth  and  Love  • 
forever. 

You  can  not  advance  when  your  path  is  tortuous.  Flat- 
ter yourselves  as  you  may,  you  will  return  to  the  same 
spot  whence  you  started  in  spite  of  all  your  efforts. 

ISTo,  there  is  no  need  of  tears  to  mark  the  spot  where 
spring  the  eternal  waters  of  life  within  you.  Why  looks 
the  soul  back  on  earth,  drawn  to  the  hearts  there  waiting 
and  languishing  by  ties  so  tender  and  strong  ?  Why  looks 
the  soul  up  to  heaven  and  turns  back  to  earth,  sighing  to 
be  once  more  among  its  friends?  The  bond  that  binds 
affection  there  is  the  very  bond  which  keeps  all  nature  in 
its  action — that  keeps  the  Eternal  One  on  his  throne — 


SPIKITUALISM.  379 

moves  life  in  all  its  action  and  demonstration.  Weep  not, 
O  spirit,  for  very  soon  you  shall  be  able  to  make  liim  you 
love  so  much  feel  you  are  near  him,  and  whisper  to  him 
consolation  that  the  world  can  neither  give  nor  take  away. 

SWEEDENBORG. 

p.  S. — While  I  was  writing  out  these  minutes  on  this 
day  (April  1),  Mrs.  Leeds,  Laura,  and  Jane  sitting  on  the 
sofa,  Mrs.  L.  was  thrown  into  a  trance  and  said  she  saw  a 
spirit,  clothed  in  ancient  armor,  with  a  drawn  sword  in 
his  hand,  walking  backward  and  forward.  After  a  while 
he  moved  away  from  her,  and  she  followed  him  until  he 
arrived  at  a  bridge,  very  beautiful  in  form  and  of  Gothic 
architecture.  He  paused  on  the  bridge  and  beckoned  her 
to  approach,  and  raising  his  sword,  he  exclaimed,  "  On- 
ward, to  conquer."  She  hesitated  about  advancing,  say- 
ing, that  if  she  crossed,  she  was  afraid  she  would  not  be 
willing  to  return.  She  finally  crossed,  and  the  bridge 
turned  into  a  large  revolving  wheel.  "Thus,"  he  said, 
"it  is  with  existence." 

His  garb  was  then  changed,  and  he  now  wore  a  mantle 
thrown  over  his  shoulder. 

'Something  was  said  between  us,  in  the  pauses  of  her 
trance,  in  the  course  of  which  I  spoke  of  our  finding  in 
the  spirit- world  all  the  animals  and  material  objects  we 
saw  in  this  life,  and  said  that  death  is  but  a  release  from 
the  trammels  which  bind  us  to  this  planet  and  a  transfer 
of  our  existence  to  a  more  refined  element.  That  it  was 
like  the  grub  which  lives  in  the  baser  element,  the  earth, 
and  dies  by  rising  in  a  new  body,  the  butterfly,  destined 
to  live  in  the  more  refined  element,  the  air. 

She  was  again  thrown  into  a  trance,  and  seizing  my 
hand  she  said,  "That  is  true,  and  you  are  the  only  man 
that  understands  it."  I  said,  "  ITo  ;  I  had  instructed  many 
in  the  thought,  and  some,  doubtless,  had  received  it."  He 
answered,  "Yes,  but  with  you  it  is  a  firm  faith,  and  with 
others  merely  speculative."     He  then  went  on  to  say  that 


380  SPIRITUALISM. 

his  change  of  garb  was  intended  to  convey  this  idea  to 
her. 

He  then  requested  her  again  to  go  with  him,  yet  she 
hesitated,  because  she  could  not  see  his  face.  He  asked 
her  if  she  did  not  trust  in  God  without  ever  seeing  his 
face,  and  would  she  not  trust  him  ?  He  then  took  another 
female  on  his  arm  and  said  to  her,  ''This  lady,  at  least, 
will  go  with  me."  She  replied  that  that  made  no  differ- 
ence to  her.  He  offered  his  other  arm  to  her  and  she  ac- 
cepted it,  and  thus,  arm-in-arm,  they  entered  a  magnificent 
Gothic  temple. 

He  asked  her  to  bow.  She  refused.  "  Why,"  he  said, 
"this  other  lady  bows!"  "But,"  she  answered,  "I  will 
not  bow."  "See,"  he  said,  "she  kneels."  But  she  an- 
swered, "  I  will  not  kneel  to  any  thing  but  my  Maker,  and 
to  him  I  will  lift  up  my  mind  in  silent  prayer." 

She  had  previously  asked  him  if  he  was  a  Catholic  ?  and 
he  did  not  answer.  She  had  also  said  to  him,  that  that 
other  female  was  going  with  him  because  she  valued  the 
honor  of  his  -company,  but  she  did  not. 

He  then  pointed  out  to  her  a  long  path,  and  said  that 
was  her  way  unless  she  knelt  there,  and  that  she  could  go 
to  Heaven  only  by  that  path.  She  answered,  "Then  we 
will  not  go  to  Heaven  together.'.'  He  then  told  her  the 
other  female  had  done  penance,  become  pure,  and  passed 
on.     She  answered,  "  Do  you  think  so  ?     I  do  not.'' 

Then  the  altar  changed  to  a  dazzling  brightness,  all  shin- 
ing with  gold,  and  he  asked,  "  Will  you  not  now  kneel?"  She 
answered,  "No."  Then  the  altar  changed  to  a  single  eye, 
and  he  said  to  her,  "  Let  us  pass  on."  They  then  entered 
a  building,  which  she  described  as  too  vast  for  mortal  eye 
to  comprehend,  and  here  he  led  her  to  a  flight  of  stairs, 
and  with  great  politeness  and  courtesy  of  manner  bid  her  as- 
cend. She  expressed  her  dislike  of  that  manner,  saying  it 
was  a  mask,  and  was  not  fit  for  the  spirit-land.  She  wanted 
to  see  his  real  feelings.  He  told  her  she  was  high-minded. 
She  said  she  did  not  intend  to  be,  but  only  sincere. 


'4l 

SPIRITUALISM/'  ^'^^^      381 

They  ascended  the  flight  of  steps,  where  he  opened  a 
door,  and  beneath  her,  in  a  pit,  she  saw  various  animals — 
wolves,  leopards,  boa-constrictors,  etc.  She  asked  what 
they  did  in  the  spirit-world,  and  if  they  were  alive  ?  He 
told  her  to  descend  and  see.  She  declined,  saying,  she  had 
just  come  away  from  such  animals  in  the  shape  of  men 
and  women.  Suddenly  she  turned  to  him  and  asked  where 
that  other  woman  was?  He  answered,  "She  has  gone  to 
look  for  popes  and  priests,  while  you  are  looking  at  your 
hobby  on  earth  to  see  if  there  are  animals  in  spirit-life." 

He  then  showed  her  a  beehive,  and  she  asked  him  what 
that  was  for  ?  She  did  not  want  to  see  such  things  in  the 
spirit-world.  He  answered  that  she  was  too  impatient, 
that  the  hive  told  us  that  we  must  ever  work. 

He  then  appeared  to  her  again  clad  in  armor,  and  told 
her  he  had  three  garbs  upon  him  which  yet  to  her  he 
would  put  off,  and  let  her  see  the 'inner  man  of  Charle- 
magne. He  then  took  off  his  gauntlet  and  laid  it  upon 
the  floor,  then  laid  his  sword  upon  it,  then  kneeling  grace- 
fully on  one  knee,  he  reached  out  his  hand  to  me,  and  said, 
"  Friend  Edmonds,  they  are  for  you,  lift  them  up.  Through 
you  and  yours  I  shall  yet  atone  for  the  wrongs  I  have  done 
my  countrymen.  Through  you  I  will  yet  atone  to  your 
countrymen  the  wrongs  I  have  done  to  mine.  This  great 
truth,  ^low  given  to  you,  shall  be  a  ball  of  light  to  my 
country,  and  spread  from  pole  to  pole." 

Then  turning  to  Laura,  he  said,  "  Lady,  I  too  have  been 
a  Catholic.  Catholics  here  have  altars  and  cathedrals  in 
plenty,  but  I  have  passed  from  sphere  to  sphere  and  found 
no  pope  or  priest !  Hold  you  fast  to  your  present  belief 
and  great  will  be  your  reward." 

He  spoke  a  few  words  to  Jennie,  telling  her  that  Laura, 
ere  long,  would  require  her  sympathy,  and  entreating  her 
to  sustain  and  strengthen  her  with  her  gentle  love. 

Then  kneeling  before  us,  he  uttered  a  short  prayer,  that 
through  me  he  might  be  permitted  to  atone  to  my  country- 
men for  the  wrongs  he  had  done  to  his  own. 


383  SPIEITU  ALISM, 


^wtiflii  Jfcrtg-niitt 


Fiiday^  April  7,  1854. 
This  evening,  through  Dr.  Dexter,  in  my  library,  it  was  said : 

How  difficult  it  is  for  the  will  to  change  the  habits  the 
mind  has  acquired  by  years  of  one  kind  of  thought,  by 
years  of  one  kind  of  association !  To  me,  even  now,  the 
effects  of  habits  acquired  on  earth,  whether  for  evil  or  for 
good,  are  the  most  difficult  things  in  this  life  to  alter  or 
change.  It  is  so,  not  only  in  regard  to  habits  of  thought, 
but  equally  so  in  reference  to  our  affections — perhaps 
stronger,  in  reference  to  the  affections,  than  almost  any 
other  of  the  functions  of  the  material  body.  Sure  it  is, 
that  when  the  mind  acquires  a  habit  of  thinking  a  certain 
order  of  thought,  the  effect  is  perceptible  in  the  acts  of  the 
individual's  life.  Thus  w^e  train  ourselves  on  earth  to  live, 
to  think,  and  to  love  with  a  greater  or  less  degree  of  in- 
tenseness  according  to  the  habitudes  of  our  minds.  What, 
then,  should  be  the  relationship  between  mind  and  mind 
on  earth  in  its  various  properties  and  attributes  ? 

We  talk  of  our  affinities,  of  our  sympathies,  of  corre- 
spondences !  How  often  is  it  that  our  affinities  are  fash- 
ioned and  directed  by  habits  !  How  often  are  our  sympa- 
thies with  another's  mind  and  opinions  governed  by  our 
habits !  the  habits  which  the  soul  for  years  has  acquired, 
bringing  as  an  offering  its  richest  tribute  of  affection, 
leaping  over  the  bounds  of  time,  and,  still  in  the  spheres, 
lavishing  its  treasures  of  love  upon  that  object  with  which 
it  was  so  long  and  so  closely  associated  on  earth  !  Oh,  we 
talk  of  our  affections,  of  our  love !  I  tell  you  affection 
and  love  teach  us  in  the  spheres  to  crucify  that  which  is 


SPIRITUALISM.  383 

selfish,  and  to  love,  even  if  loving  produces  the  intensest 
suffering ;  for  there  are  times  when  the  soul  pours  out  its 
affections  like  running  water,  and  the  tide,  instead  of  being 
received  in  another's  soul,  is  suffered  to  run  waste,  until 
its  waters  are  drank  up  by  the  thirsty  earth.  We  meet  this 
even  in  the  spheres. 

It  is  exquisite  pain  to  feel  that  love  like  this  is  wasted, 
and  yet  affection,  true  love,  is  tested  only  by  its  tenacity 
of  adhesion. 

Does  not  He  who  made  us  love  ?  when  every  morning's  sun 
shines  forth  new  evidence  of  his  affection,  and  even  night's 
darkest  pall  gives  evidence  that  love  is  still  there  twink- 
ling in  the  thousand  stars  that  stud  that  mantle  ?  'No  :  no 
action,  no  words,  no  suffering,  no  treatment  can  stay  that 
feeling  in  its  utterance.  To  bear  and  forbear,  to  suffer  and 
endure,  and  yet  to  love,  is  the  attribute  of  the  progressed 
soul;  and  he  who  stops  on  earth,  because  his  affections  are 
not  appreciated  ;  because  the  love  he  proffers  has  been  re- 
jected; because  it  is  not  properly  appreciated  in  himself; 
because  his  sympathies  are  not  understood  or  his  motives 
recognized;  because  he  was  not  known;  because  for  the 
love  he  had  he  was  misrepresented  ;  because  there  was  no 
return  but  harshness,  sternness,  and  the  proud  spirit,  in  its 
upward  reaching,  was  crushed  and  sent  back  to  earth  ;  if 
he  falters,  if  he  withdraws  his  love  back  into  himself,  he 
has  progressed  only  so  far  as  his  own  condition  of  mind 
was  tested  by  his  own  selfishness  ;  for  when  we  live  here 
we  shall  learn  that  that  which  is  pure  and  holy,  that  which 
is  of  God  and  to  him,  that  which  is  righteous,  that  which 
is  without  spot  or  blemish,  that  which  is  high,  noble,  brave, 
gallant,  proud,  that  which  is  learned,  wise,  profound,  beau- 
tiful, consists  in  loviug  forever. 


384  SPIEITUALISM. 


ttiion  Jfiftg 


Sunday,  April  10,  1854. 

At  the  circle,  this  evening,  we  had  a  new  manifestation,  which  was 
repeated  on  several  evenings.  Mrs.  Sweet  and  my  daughter  Laura 
were  both  influenced  at  the  same,  moment,  and  saw  the  same  objects. 
They  conversed  with  each  other  concerning  what  they  saw,  which  seem- 
ed, from  their  conversation,  to  be  the  ruins  of  a  buried  city — the  relics 
of  a  people  and  an  age  long  since  passed  away. 

A  memorandum  of  their  conversation  was  made  at  the  time,  from 
which  Mr.  Warren  afterward  wrote  out  the  account  of  it.  Laura  also 
wrote  her  account  of  what  she  had  seen;  that  precedes  the  dialogue, 
and  even  at  the  hazard  of  a  little  repetition,  it  is  all  inserted,  as  from  it 
all  we  derive  a  very  interesting  view  of  man  in  one  condition  of  his 
progression  to  his  present  state  of  refinement  and  civilization. 

Laura's  statement  is  in  these  words  : 

Sitting  at  the  circle,  Mrs.  Sweet  and  myself  were  en- 
tranced 60  deeply,  that  we  lost  all  consciousness  for  a  short 
time.  The  first  I  recollect  was  Mrs.  S.  calling  me  by  name, 
and  asking  me  to  go  with  her  ;  the  spirits  were  sending  us 
on  a  mission  of  love,  and  now  we  would  start.  Suddenly 
was  opened  to  our  view  a  city  tumbling  to  ruins ;  spires 
were  tottling,  and  here  and  there  were  the  pillars  of  some 
splendid  abode,  standing  like  monuments  of  the  past,  silent 
in  their  grandeur.  ISTo  sound  could  be  heard  save  the 
winds.     No  life  was  there. 

We  descended  slowly  until  we  reached  a  dark  entrance, 
and  as  we  entered,  it  seemed  as  though  a  city  was  before 
us,  buried  'neath  the  dust  of  ages.  We  clambered  over  the 
ruins,  and  entered  a  large  subterranean  passage  or  cham- 
ber, and  on  every  side  were  statues  sculptured  exquisitely, 
mostly  female  figures — some  were  still  perfect — some  broken 
and  crumbling  to  dust ;  all  were  covered  with  a  d^k  mold ; 


SPIBITUALISM.  385 

every  thing  was  enveloped  in  gloom,  and  we  were  enabled 
to  see  the  surrounding  objects  by  a  light,  bright  and  clear, 
that- seemed  to  follow  us  and  illuminated  the  objects  of  our 
attention,  while  all  besides  was  shrouded  with  the  darkness 
of  the  tomb.  As  we  advanced,  there  was  a  chill  that  per- 
vaded our  frames,  showing  that  the  sun  never  penetrated 
there,  and  every  thing  was  covered  with  a  mold,  cold  and 
clammy  to  the  touch.  As  we  proceeded  into  the  interior, 
the  cold,  damp  atmosphere  increased  in  its  chill,  and  there 
was  a  feeling  of  oppression,  as  though  the  winds  of  heaven 
seldom  found  entrance  there.  Beneath  our  feet  were  stones, 
apparently  blocks  of  marble  of  various  hues,  but  covered  with 
a  slimy  substance,  which  rendered  it  difficult  for  us  to  walk. 
Between  the  heaps  of  stones  was  a  species  of  rank  grass, 
growing  stiff  and  reed-like,  with  sharp  edges,  resembling 
wild  swamp-grass.  We  noticed  in  the  first  chamber  that 
a  portion  of  space  was  devoted  to  religious  purposes.  A 
singular,  frightful-looking  image  was  there,  and  its  bright- 
red  eyes  glared  at  us  as  though  it  deemed  ns  intruders  in 
that  city  of  death.  Before  drawing  near,  it  appeared  like 
some  hideous  animal  crouching  in  suppressed  fury ;  but 
upon  examining  it,  our  fears  were  dispelled,  for  it  proved 
to  be  an  idol  formed  of  a  dark,  metallic  stone  substance ; 
and  the  eyes  that  appeared  to  glare  proved  to  be  large  jew- 
els of  a  clear  crystalline  red,  resembling  ruby,  but  much 
purer.  It  had  ears  like  those  of  a  spaniel  dog,  in  which 
were  hung  massive  gold  rings  about  five  inches  in  diam- 
eter. •  Its  face  resembled  a  human  being,  with  a  head  of 
the  shape  of  a  dog.  There  was  before  it  an  altar  made  of 
crystallized  salt.  It  appeared  to  me  broken,  but  still  per- 
fect enough  to  judge  what  it  was.  After  having  examined 
this  creature  carefully,  we  turned  to  the  left  and  beheld  the 
figure  of  a  lion  with  wings ;  it  was  rough  in  its  beauty, 
but  very  natural.  I  could  not  tell  what  kind  of  stone  it 
was  of,  for  it  was  covered  with  dust  and  slimy  mold.  INTear 
it  stood  antique  vases  about  five  feet  high,  some  composed 
of  yellow  marble,  and  some  of  a  flaky,  glittering  crystal 

25 


SPIRITUALISM. 

substance.  Their  bases  were  square  and  smooth,  and  the 
vases  slender,  gradually  increasing  in  size,  and  much  re- 
sembled the  imitations  we  now  have.  Some  were  with 
handles  on  each  side,  and  some  without ;  they  were  deli- 
cately carved  with  fruits  and  flowers.  While  gazing  upon 
these  objects,  and  viewing  the  works  of  human  hands,  we 
saw  advancing  in  the  distance  the  figure  of  a  man,  and  my 
companion  remarked  that  it  was  strange  to  see  a  living 
being  in  so  desolate  a  place.  As  he  approached  we  dis- 
covered he  was  a  spirit ;  his  figure  was  tall  and  slim,  and 
his  face  was  dark  and  forbidding ;  sorrow  seemed  to  have 
reigned  supreme  with  him  for  ages.  His  look  was  that  of 
amazement,  mingled  with  fear.  His  garb  consisted  of  a 
dark,  ragged  mantle,  wound  around  him  with  a  majestic 
air,  but  it  had  the  appearance  of  decay  like  the  objects 
surrounding  us.  Upon  his  head  was  a  coronet  of  tarnished 
hue.  It  seemed  frail  and  crumbling,  and  where  jewels  had 
once  sparkled,  were  the  hollow  sockets  glaring  as  though 
in  mockery  of  the  past.  His  hands  were  long  and  shriv- 
eled, and  he  moved  with  a  slow  tread,  gazing  sadly  and 
sternly  upon  the  ruin  around  him.  My  companion  ad- 
dressed him.  As  we  passed  into  another  chamber,  we  no- 
ticed the  atmosphere  was  colder  and  more  oppressive ;  the 
wall  on  the  left  side  of  the  inner  apartment  was  covered 
with  what  appeared  a  painting,  but  upon  examination  it 
proved  to  be  mosaic  work,  representing  a  man  on  horse- 
back. The  face  of  the  man  was  coarse,  and  very  like  an 
animal,  and  the  expression  was  cruel  and  stern,  and  very 
disgusting.  He  wore  a  skirt  of  various  colors  falling  to 
the  knees,  and  thrown  across  his  left  shoulder  was  a  cir- 
cular mantle  covered  with  grotesque  figures.  On  his  head 
was  a  singular-looking  cap,  which  I  could  not  fully  de- 
scribe, as  some  of  the  mosaic  work  had  crumbled  to  dust. 
It  was  the  life-like  portrait  of  the  unhappy  spirit  we  had 
before  met. 

We  passed  on,  and  immediately  before  us  were  various 
garments,  some  falling  to  pieces  at  our  touch.     One  in  par- 


BPIRITTJALIBM.  387 

ticular  attracted  our  attention :  it  was  a  short,  full  skirt ; 
the  fabric  consisted  of  gold  and  silver  threads,  interwoven 
with  some  kind  of  wiry  material.  Its  fastening  was  by 
gold  cords  passing  over  the  shoulder,  and  crossing  in  front. 
Then  there  was  a  waist  about  a  quarter  of  a  yard  in  depth, 
a  strait  piece  hollowed  under  the  arms,  presenting  a  grace 
ful  appearance,  fastened  behind  by  golden  strings  inter 
laced.  I  should  judge  that  it  had  belonged  to  a  female. 
We  both  noticed  that  after  having  described  it,  and  turn- 
ing to  look  at  it,  all  sight  of  it  had  disappeared  ;  nothing 
remained. 

Our  attention  was  then  attracted  to  a  staircase,  broken 
and  rough,  presenting  a  dingy,  brown  surface,  smooth  to 
the  touch ;  but  when  examining  the  material,  we  saw  it 
was  the  white,  transparent,  flaky  stone  we  had  met  with  in 
the  first  chamber.  Toward  the  right  of  the  stairs,  against 
the  wall,  stood  a  dark  stone  table,  highly  polished.  It  was 
filled  with  goblets  and  cups  of  gold  and  silver,  exquisitely 
wrought ;  the  largest  goblet  resembled  those  of  the  present 
day,  difi'ering,  however,  at  the  top  ;  instead  of  the  top  be- 
ing a  plain  ring,  its  rim  curled  over  about  an  inch,  with 
silver  pendents  made  to  represent  bunches  of  grapes,  solid 
and  massive;  it  was  used,  I  should  judge,  for  flowers.  The 
cups  were  small  but  very  heavy,  of  difierent  shapes,  some 
plain,  some  goblet  form.  There  was  also  a  square  plate 
with  deep  sides,  which  consisted  of  copper,  beautifully  fig- 
ured, engraved  as  it  were  with  some  sharp  instrument,  but 
it  was  so  covered  with  mold  that  it  was  difficult  to  decide 
its  purpose. 

We  then  passed  into  another  chamber,  which  appeared 
in  better  order  than  the  first ;  it  was  paved  with  marble  of 
various  hues,  inlaid  in  figures,  diamonds,  circles,  squares, 
etc.,  somewhat  broken,  however,  and  the  center  of  the 
apartment  was  covered  with  pebbles  of  various  sizes  and 
beauty,  which  seemed  like  jewels.  The  windows  were 
Gothic  shaped,  about  three  feet  in  height  and  two  wide. 
The  substance  was  not  glass,  but  something  soft  and  trans- 


388  SPIBITFALISM. 

parent,  and  colored  red  and  green,  and  various  other  hues, 
blending  mo'st  beautifully.  Each  piece  seemed  about  two 
inches  square. 

"We  concluded  to  ascend  the  broad  staircase,  frail  as  it 
was.  After  much  difficulty  we  found  ourselves  on  a  broad 
platform,  or  balcony,  formed  of  this  singular  white  stone. 
It  was  all  one  solid  mass,  unlike  the  pavement  below.  As 
we  stood  there,  we  saw  a  garden  below  us  ;  it  was  an  in- 
ner court,  surrounded  by  buildings.  In  the  center  was  a 
fountain,  dried  up,  but  the  basin  showed  that  water  had 
flowed  there  for  a  long  ?pace  of  time.  Around  this  fount- 
ain were  statues  of  various  sizes ;  some  had  fallen  down  ; 
some  were  wanting  a  head,  some  an  arm — one  leaning 
against  a  tall  figure  of  a  man,  the  face  all  perforated  with  age. 

To  the  left  was  a  temple  of  dark  shmj  marble,  round  at 
the  top,  supported  on  fluted  pillars,  in  the  center  of  which 
stood  a  frightful  image,  roughly  made,  but  too  far  destroyed 
to  describe.  He  had  been  called  the  god  of  the  land,  and 
ruled  the  elements. 

We  turned  from  this  scene  to  descend  the  stairs,  and  to 
the  right  we  could  see  a  long  corridor,  on  each  side  of  which 
were  white  marble  columns,  some  broken,  but  pure  and 
beautiful.  We  turned  to  the  left,  and  entered  a  room  with 
a  low  ceiling ;  but  what  was  remarkable  was  its  singular 
appearance.  The  walls  and  furniture  were  all  alike,  of 
smooth,  polished  stone,  resembling  in  color  and  substance 
blue  vitriol.  In  one  corner  was  a  couch  of  the  same  ma- 
terial, long  and  solid ;  a  square  block,  highly  polished,  an- 
swered as  a  seat.  One  side  of  the  room. was  covered  with 
frescoed  images,  and  heads  with  wings.  We  entered  an- 
other room,  and  there  the  walls  were  of  a  light  drab  color, 
and  singular,  unknown  writing  was  on  all  sides.  At  the 
extremity  of  the  apartment  was  a  fresco  scene  standing  out 
in  bold  relief.  It  represented  a  very  beautiful  female  rest- 
ing on  the  left  knee,  her  hands  crossed  and  tied,  resting 
on  her  right  knee,  her  head  bent  over  her  hands,  and  her 
hair  flowing  and  black.    The  face  was  exquisite  in  form, 


SPIRITUALISM.  389 

and  the  expression  was  far  more  elevated  than  the  race 
that  appeared  to  be  natives  of  this  region.  I  should  judge 
she  was  a  Georgian  or  Greek  slave.  Her  form  was  delicately 
shaped,  and  the  perfect  poetry  of  beauty.  We  were  told 
we  might  leave  now,  and  as  we  turned  to  go,  I  saw  a  vase 
of  iron  filled  with  coins.  "We  descended  and  passed  through 
the  same  apartments,  but  noticed  that  large  toadstools  and 
mushrooms,  larger  than  any  thing  we  had  ever  before  seen, 
were  growing  amid  the  ruins  in  corners,  but,  strange  to 
say,  there  were  no  reptiles  anywhere  visible.  We  passed 
out,  and  oh !  how  grateful  was  the  pure  air  of  heaven  to 
the  two  shivering  mortals !  It  seemed  morning,  and  we 
knew  nothing  more  until  we  found  ourselves  seated  in  our 
library  with  wondering  faces  around  us. 

The  dialogue,  reported  by  Mr.  Warren,  was  in  these  words  : 

Mrs.  Sweet. — Sister  spirit,  are  you  willing  to  go  with  me 
to  explore  a  scene  of  ancient  ruin,  so  that  we  may  describe 
it  for  the  benefit  of  our  friends  ? 

Miss  Edmonds. — Yes,  I  am  willing  to  go,  if  it  will  do  any 
good.  I  am  williug  to  do  any  thing  that  will  be  of  service 
to  mankind. 

Mrs.  S. — Well — come  with  me.  I  don't  know  what  I 
am  to  go  for,  but  I  am  impressed  that  we  must  go,  and 
that  it  will  be  of  use.  The  spirits  will  probably  guide  us  ; 
though  I  don't  see  any  spirits  with  us. 

Miss.  E. — We  seem  to  have  arrived  at  a  most  dismal 
place. 

•    Mrs.  S.— Why,  what  an  ancient  place  it  is  !    It  is  all  in 
ruins.     I  can  hardly  see,  every  thing  is  so  gloomy. 

Miss  E. — Are  not  those  that  we  see  yonder  towers? 

Mrs.  S. — Yes,  they  are  towers  that  are  broken  and  tot- 
tering to  their  foundations.  It  is  a  very  gloomy  place! 
The  rank  grass  grows  up  amid  the  rocks,  that  seem  to  have 
been  hurled  over  by  some  mighty  force. 

Miss  E. — Where  are  the  people  that  belong  here  ?  But 
people  could  not  live  in  so  desolate  a  place.    It  is  deserted. 


390  SPIBITTJALISM. 

Mrs.  S. — Yes,  it  is  indeed  deserted.  Can  you  see  any 
human  being? 

Miss  E. — ]^o ;  none. 

Mrs.  S. — The  air  is  chilly,  it  strikes  to  my  heart. 

Miss  E. — Yet  there  must  be  inhabitants  somewhere 
about,  though  I  can  not  see  any.  Here  is  a  great  build- 
ing, partly  in  ruins. 

Mrs.  S. — Let  us  enter  at  this  door,  or  rather  the  open- 
ing, for  it  seems  more  like  going  into  a  cave,  it  is  so  dark. 
Part  of  this  building  is  standing  entire.  What  massive 
work!  Look  at  these  marble  halls — these  figures  sculp- 
tured in  stone — that  broken  fountain.  Observe  the  per- 
fect beauty  of  these  statues !  All  that  the  art  and  industry 
of  man  could  do  has  here  been  done. 

Miss  E. — Yes,  the  works  of  art  around  here  in  ruins  are 
truly  wonderful.  They  must  have  been  made  in  an  en- 
lightened age  of  the  world. 

Mrs.  S. — Man's  spirit  must  have  been  highly  developed 
before  he  could  from  the  cold  stone  fashion  ^uch  forms  of 
beauty ! 

Miss  E. — But  he  did  not  look  up  from  these  forms. 

Mrs.  S. — Oh,  Laura,  something  was  wanting  and  wrong, 
or  this  mighty  city  would  not  have  fallen.  What  a  chill 
pervades  all  things  here  !  Look  there !  yonder  is  a  figure. 
It  is  a  living  being.  I  will  inquire  of  him  what  all  this 
means. 

Miss  E. — I  see  the  figure.     Let  us  go  to  him. 

Mrs.  S. — But  be  careful,  we  shall  stumble  over  the  rough 
stones.  See  what  blocks  and  fragments  are  scattered  about ! 
It  is  difiicult  to  find  places  for  our  feet.  I  am  afraid  there 
are  wild  beasts  among  these  ruins.  See !  that  person  is 
coming  toward  us. 

Miss  E. — Do  not  fear — he  will  not  harm  us.  Surely  the 
spirits  that  brought  us  here  will  protect  us. 

Mrs.  S. — But,  Laura,  see !  that  is  a  spirit.  See  what  a 
dark  robe  or  mantle  he  has  around  him !  I  am  afraid  of 
him — how  do  we  know  what  he  is  \    See !  his  head  is  bow- 


SPIEITXTALISM.  391 

ed  down,  and  he  seems  oppressed  with  some  great  sor- 
row.    Are  you  willing  to  speak  to  him  ?  ■*'^',''  ^^^ 

Miss  E. — Yes,  and  I  think  it  is  our  duty  to  speak  to  him. 
I  do  not  fear  him. 

^<^^  Mrs.  S. — But  I  am  afraid  to  go  near  him.  What  do  you 
think  it  is  ?  Is  it  a  human  being  ?  What  if  it  should  be 
some  dark  spirit?  that  mantle  is  so  black  and  so  myste- 
rious ! 

Miss  E. — We  are  in  good  hands.  Do  not  tremble.  Those 
who  brought  us  here  will  protect  us. 

Mrs.  S. — See !  now  he  raises  his  head.  What  a  face  he 
has! 

Miss  E. — He  is  himself  a  ruin.    What  wretchedness  ! 

Mrs.  S. — See !  the  flesh  seems  wasted  off  his  bones  by 
grief.     He  is  indeed  wretched. 

Miss  E. — Let  us  speak  to  him.  Perhaps  we  may  com- 
fort him. 

Mrs.  S. — Spirit,  speak  to  us. 

Miss  E. — Why  are  you  here  ?  what  is  the  cause  of  all 
this  sorrow  which  is  so  visible  on  your  countenance  ?  Why 
are  you  wandering  in  so  dismal  a  place  ? 

Mrs.  S. — See,  Laura,  there  is  a  crown  on  his  head — 
some  of  the  jewels  are  gone  from  it.  He  was  a  king  here 
in  times  gone  by.  He  does  not  look  much  like  a  king 
now. 

Mifes  E. — He  is  to  be  pitied.  Let  us  go  to  him,  and  talk 
with  him.     Perhaps  we  may  learn  his  history. 

Mrs.  S. — See !  he  approaches  us.  We  will  talk  with 
him.  He  is  about  to  speak.  I  hear  his  voice — it  is  hollow 
and  low.  Tell  him  not  to  come  any  nearer — I  shudder  at 
his  presence.  He  repels  me  with  an  icy  coldness.  His 
voice  strikes  a  chill  through  me.     I  am  afraid. 

Miss  E. — I  do  not  fear.  I  will  stand  between  you  and 
him — and  the  spirits  that  brought  us  here,  will  they  not 
protect  us  ? 

Mrs.  S. —  Look  at  his  crown,  or  that  which  once  was 
a  crown.      See  how  moldy  it  is !      The  jewels  are  gone 


392  SPIRITUALISM. 

or  faded — for  there  is  no  brightness  or  beauty  to  the 
gems. 

Miss  E. — He  is  like  the  other  ruins  abouf  here. 

Miis.  S. — Yet  perhaps  we  can  help  him.  Spirit,  can  we 
render  jou  any  service?  Don't  injure  us,  for  we  came  on 
a  mission  of  good — we  will  be  useful  to  you,  if  possible. 
Spirit,  if  we  can  aid  you  in  any  way,  tell  us  how,  but  don't 
approach  us. 

Miss  E, — Do  not  fear  him — he  will  do  no  harm.  See !  he 
is  weak  as  a  child. 

Mks.  S. — He  speaks.  He  says,  "Blest  messengers  of 
Heaven  !  have  you  indeed  come  to  the  scene  of  my  former 
greatness  and  splendor,  to  behold  my  present  sorrow  and 
humiliation?  Have  you  come  like  me  to  gaze  upon  the 
fragments  of  that  splendor  and  power  which  once  filled 
my  soul  with  rejoicing  and  gladness  ?  Have  you  come 
to  behold  my  weary  spirit  retracing  daily  and  nightly 
the  scenes  in  which  I  used  to  reign  a  king  supreme  over 
all?" 

Miss  E. — Poor  spirit !  sorrow  is  in  every  feature,  despair 
in  every  tone.  "We  should  be  glad  to  render  you  happier,  if 
in  our  power. 

Mrs.  S. — Why,  that  is  our  mission  here.  Look  on  his 
face,  Laura ;  every  feature  is  imbued  with  suffering.  I 
feel  now  t^at  we  can  approach  him  safely.  Listen  ;  he 
speaks  again.  He  says,  "  I  was  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  my 
glory  and  greatness ;  my  splendor  availed  me  not  when 
the  summons  of  death  came  and  laid  me  low.  But  my 
spirit  chafed  with  anger.  Oh,  how  I  hated  to  leave  the 
scene  of  all  m}^  power  and  grandeur !  I  have  wished  for 
no  heaven,  for  my  hopes  of  happiness  were  all  upon  the 
earth,  and  I  have  lingered  about  this  city  of  my  love  and 
my  earthly  idols,  and  watched  her  decline.  I  have  seen 
her  greatness  and  her  power  fade  away  as  gradually  as 
the  light  fails  at  set  of  sun,  till  all  that  was  proud  and 
beautiful  —  all  that  was  noble  and  magnificent  in  this 
wonderful  city — has  sunk  down  into  the  dark  waters  of 


SPIRITUALISM.  393 

oblivion  till  even  tlie  remembrance  of  her  power  ia  lost 
forever." 

Miss  E. — Let  the  spirit  cease  to  mourn.  Sorrow  is  un- 
availing. Let  the  morning  succeed  to  the  night.  Let  the 
past  remain  buried ;  come  to  the  present  and  live.  Suffer 
us  to  lead  you  to  that  light  where  a  new  course  is  opened 
for  your  spirit. 

Mes.  S. — He  speaks,  "  Oh,  yes,  I  have  too  long  lingered 
here,  and  wept  amid  these  ruins  of  my  power.  My  spirit 
has  thus  been  chained  down  by  my  love  of  earth,  and  I 
have  grown  familiar  with  this  desolation.  This  lonely 
place  has  been  all  the  heaven  there  was  for  me,  till  the 
light  has  grown  dim,  and  my  spirit  has  almost  forgotten 
there  is  a  brighter  place,  and  quite  forgotten  how  and 
where  I  may  seek  it." 

Miss  E. — But  thou  hast  not  been  forgotten. 

Mrs.  S. — He  speaks  again  :  "  No,  for  they  begged  me  to 
leave ;  but  I  have  wasted  long  and  precious  years  in  mourn- 
ing over  my  lost  greatness." 

Miss  E. — Mourn  not  for  what  is  past.  Listen  to  our 
counsels.  Come  with  us,  we  will  guide  thee  to  happier 
scenes,  where  thou  shalt  forget  this  sad  waste  of  mournful 
ruins  that  only  keep  alive  thy  sorrows,  and  we  will  show 
thee  the  loving  friends  of  other  days,  and  thou  shalt  be 
more  blest  than  even  in  the  days  of  thy  proudest  power 
and  grandeur. 

.  Mrs.  S. — He  says,  "What  sounds  are  these?  Why, 
mortals !  did  you  come  with  angels  to  comfort  and  bless 
a  poor  child  of  earth?  Did  spirits  of  Heaven  send  you  to 
me  with  these  words  of  hope." 

Miss  E. — Bright  spirits  knew  thy  condition  —  spirits 
that  wish  all  to  be  saved.  They  sent  us  to  thee,  to  bid 
thee  rise  with  new  strength,  and  press  upward  and  on- 
ward in  the  race,  to  tell  thee  to  let  these  stones  crum- 
ble and  rot  while  thou  shouldst  soar  on  the  path  of  pro- 
gression. 

Mrs.  S. — He  says,  "Yet  I  see  angels  have  come  with 


394  SPIRITUALISM. 

you.  Eright  beings !  how  beautiful  they  look !  I  am  dusty 
and  ragged.  I  have  grown  to  be  myself  a  ruin  of  the  same 
color  as  the  ruins  around  me,  and  as  unclean.  Will  these 
bright  beings  receive  me  ?" 

Miss  E. — Yes,  they  will,  and  joyfully.  Cast  aside  this 
timidity — this  feeling  of  distress.  See !  they  approach  thee. 
They  are  thy  friends. 

Mks.  S. — He  says,  "  Oh,  Heavenly  Father !  hear  thy 
penitent  child,  and  let  those  happy  spirits  who  have  come 
on  an  errand  of  mercy  lead  me  away  from  this  scene  of 
desolation !"  Laura,  he  is  gone.  Those  spirits  have  con- 
ducted him  away. 

Miss  E. — That  was  our  mission  here.  It  is  happily  ful- 
filled. 

Mrs.  S. — Did  you  see  those  spirits  at  first  ? 

Miss  E. — 'No,  not  at  first.     They  followed  us  hither. 

Mrs.  S. — What  a  place  we  are  in !  There  is  so  little 
light.     The  grass  is  white— the  plants  all  look  sickly. 

Miss  E. — It  is  because  the  sun  never  shines  here. 

Mrs.  S. — If  I  were  not  afraid  I  should  like  to  examine 
this.  But  it  feels  so  cold  here  and  so  death-like.  No  hu- 
man beings  have  lived  here  for  centuries. 

What  singular-shaped  windows !  They  are  of  many 
colors — made  in  figures.  How  beautiful  they  are  !  Look 
at  those  great,  tall  vases  of  white  marble,  so  curiously 
wrought.  See  !  they  have  fallen  about  in  every  direction. 
Look  how  they  are  sculptured.  There  are  little  figures  and 
scenes  carved  on  every  side.  See  these  vases  that  have 
handles  on  each  side,  with  figures  sculptured  on  them. 
They  are  very  old-looking.  Here  is  a  massive  figure  cut 
in  stone.  It  is  a  lion.  It  must  have  been  made  to  set 
upon  a  building.  It  is  very  roughly  cut,  and  yet  it  is  very 
perfect  in  form.  There  are  shining  stones  throughout  its 
substance.  It  is  so  dark  here  I  can  hardly  see  any  thing — 
and  only  one  thing  at  a  time.  Those  invisible  beings  who 
are  behind  us,  shed  their  light  so  that  it  shines  right  be- 
tween us,  and  we  see  only  that  upon  which  it  falls.    All 


f 

SPIEITUALISM.  395 

else  is  wrapped  in  darkness.  It  is  so  difficult  to  walk  here, 
too.  The  grass  hurts  my  feet.  Every  blade  seems  to  be 
a  thorn. 

Miss  E. — Come  on  this  side  and  see  this;  ^ 

Mrs.  S. — I  don't  know  what  these  things  are — they  are 
crawling  reptiles — I  am  afraid  of  thera. 

Miss  E. — I'll  go  first.  I  am  not  afraid.  I  am  sure  noth- 
ing will  hurt  me. 

Mrs.  S. — What  is  this  before  us  with  such  glittering 
eyes  ?  I  am  sure  it  is  not  alive.  Let  us  look  at  it.  What 
unnatural-looking  eyes !  They  seem  made  of  red  stones. 
Don't  go  near  it.  What  can  it  be  ?  The  face  is  long,  and 
yet  round — its  hair  is  hanging  down. 

Miss  E. — It  is  an  ancient  idol.  Who  could  worship  such 
a  thing  as  that?  See,  it  has  rings  in  its  ears.  Its  long 
hair  hangs  down. 

Mrs.  S. — It  has  an  awful  face  !  The  stones  which  serve 
for  eyes  are  red  as  rubies.  How  large  they  are !  The  fig- 
ure is  monstrous  indeed. 

Miss  E. — See  what  a  pedestal  it  is  placed  on !  It  seems 
to  be  a  crystal  marble.  Look !  here  is  an  inclosure.  It 
is  evidently  for  an  altar.  It  is  broken,  and  the  ornaments 
are  scattered.     Let  the  light  shine  upon  it,  so  we  can  see. 

Mrs.  S. — I  can  hardly  see  it. 

Miss  E. — We  have  seen  enough  of  it. 

Mrs.  S. — It  is  so  still  and  death-like  here,  it  seems  as 
thouffh  we  were  in  a  tomb.  It  sends  a  chill  over  me  to 
look  round.  I  seem  to  be  amid  graves.  It  is  so  dark  and 
cold,  and  there  is  no  life  around. 

Miss  E. — Look  here !     See  this  curious  piece  of  mosaic. 

Mrs.  S. — I  should  have  called  it  a  picture. 

Miss  E. — It  is  the  most  interestins:  thins:  we  have  seen. 
See !  it  is  made  of  small  stones  of  different  colors.  Some 
of  the  pieces  are  gone.  They  must  have  been  advanced 
in  the  arts  to  be  able  to  do  such  things. 

There  is  the  figure  of  a  horse.  See  that  cloak — I  never 
saw  such  a  cloak.     It  is  thrown  over  one  shoulder.     Look 


896  SPIRITUALISM. 

at  this  cap  with  the  gems  round  it.  Why !  this  was  a  pal- 
ace, and  this  represents  a  king  with  his  crowu  on.  I  do 
not  wonder  things  are  so  strange. 

Do  you  see  that  great  flight  of  marble  steps  yonder? 
See  how  wide  they  are — many  men  might  walk  up  them 
abreast.  The  railing  is  also  of  marble.  But  the  steps  are 
cracked,  and  rusty,  and  dirty. 

Look  at  these  windows.  How  different  they  are  from 
ours !  The  panes  so  small  and  so  numerous,  diamond- 
shaped,  much  broken. 

Look  here,  too,  at  these  old  garments'.  Tliis  was  once 
very  rich  stuff.     Now  it  is  moldy  and  crumbling  to  dust. 

This  place  is  very  close.  It  oppresses  me.  I  would  not 
stay  here,  but  we  have  been  brought  here  to  see  these 
things  and  report  what  we  have  seen,  so  that  others  may 
profit  by  the  lesson. 

This  is  a  female's  garment.  It  is  a  short,  full  skirt.  It 
has  silv^er  and  gold  threads  interwoven  in  it,  so  that  it  is 
stiff  and  heavy.  It  is  very  rich  with  the  precious  threads, 
but  it  is  now  discolored.  The  gold  and  the  silver  glitter, 
but  the  rich  stuff'  has  deca3'ed.  I  can  see  how  it  was  put 
on.  Two  cords  went  over  the  shoulders  and  crossed  in 
front.  It  has  a  very  little  waist,  only  covers  a  little  in 
front — no  sleeves — something  like  a  child's  apron.  It  did 
not  reach  half  up  the  waist. 

Do  you  notice  those  things  we  have  been  examining 
are  all  gone  ?  They  seem  to  have  been  brought  for  us  to 
look  at,  and  then  taken  away  again.  ,, 

Look  at  these  heavy  goblets — what  curious  shapes  !  The 
lip  curls  over.  They  have  grapes  sculj^tured  upon  them. 
They  are  very  unlike  what  we  have.  How  heavy  they 
are !  And  here  is  something  peculiar.  They  look  like  plates 
of  copper.  They  are  very  rusty  now.  This  must  be  the 
place  where  that  spirit  lived. 

Let  us  go  up  stairs — it  is  so  close  here.  We  should  get 
fresh  air  there.     Let  us  go — there  by  the  broken  columns. 

Mks.  S. — I  fear  to  go  up  those  stairs.     They  look  so 


spiritualism:.  397 

crumbling  and  so  rotten,  and  yet  they  can't  fall,  for  the 
spirits  would  not  let  us  go  up  any  dangerous  place.  Come, 
Laura,  we  will  go  up. 

What  a  beautiful  scene  !  It  looks  into  the  court.  Look  at 
that  fountain  in  the  center,  surrounded  by  figures  of  stat- 
uary. The  grass  and  shrubbery  have  almost  overgrown 
it. 

Here  is  a  room  different  from  all  we  have  seen.  Every 
thing  is  of  one  color — all  a  light-blue,  like  the  sky.  These 
things  are  made  of  some  kind  of  earth  by  chemical  pro- 
cess. The  room  is  filled  with  things  made  of  it.  They 
are  smoothly  glazed  like  china  dishes — but  they  are  all 
blue,  and  of  the  oddest  shapes. 

There  is  but  just  light  enough  to  see.  There  are  two 
recesses  or  panels  in  the  wall,  on  which  are  sculptured  has 
reliefs.     They  are  covered  with  dust. 

There  is  a  little  figure  of  blue  crystal.  It  has  a  strange 
look — like  its  inhabitants,  I  suspect. 

Here  is  a  square  block — a  sort  of  seat.  It  is  smooth  on 
the  top — it  is  all  blue,  and  carved  on  the  sides. 

Miss  E. — If  we  should  go  into  that  other  chamber  we 
should  get  another  sight. 

Mrs.  S. — I  am  tired.  Let  us  finish  this  exploring.  This 
spirit  who  is  with  us,  does  he  wish  us  to  look  at  these  things 
any  more  ?     Will  it  do  any  good  to  be  here  ? 

Miss  E. — He  smiles  and  says,  "  Look  and  record  what 
you  see  for  the  use  of  the  world." 

Mrs.  S. — I  am  afraid  to  remain  here  any  longer.  We 
may  meet  serpents.  I  am  not  easy.  It  is  so  dark  here.  I 
don't  know  why,  but  there  is  an  impression  of  something 
bad  in  every  thing  about  us. 

Miss  E. — They  who  dwelt  here  lived  only  for  sensual 
gratification.  See  !  'twas  to  gratify  sense  they  had  these 
pictures.  All  shows  their  sensuality.  Can  you  read  those 
characters  on  these  walls  ? 

Mrs.  S. — No — those  inscriptions  are  Greek.  Yonder  ia 
a  vase.    There  on  the  walls  you  see  letters  cut  in  the  same 


398  SPIEITUALISM. 

characters.     It  is  doubtless  part  of  their  worship — a  book 
always  open. 

Miss  E. — Just  observe  that  picture.  The  prominent 
figure  in  it  is  a  slave.  What  a  pitiful  look  !  How  differ- 
ent the  dress  is  from  the  others  in  the  picture.  It  is  one 
of  some  subjugated  nation,  brought  from  a  distance.  It 
is  a  female,  and  very  beautiful.  They  must  have  been 
very  barbarous  here. 

Mrs.  S. — She  is  not  like  our  slaves— she  is  white,  her 
hair  straight,  and  she  has  more  soul  in  her  face  and  more 
cultivation  than  her  conquerors ;  but  she  is  a  slave  from 
her  dress.  Let  me  look  at  her  features  again.  This  was  a 
captive  taken  in  war. 

Look  at  that  man  on  horseback.  How  cruel,  how  gross 
and  animal ! — his  horse  looks  better  than  he.  Badness  is 
expressed  in  his  face.  He  was  a  miserable  wretch.  He 
is  the  same  one  we  saw. 

Miss  E. — He  was  bowed  down.  He  does  look  like  that 
image. 

Mrs.  S. — Let  us  go — it  gives  me  pain  ;  or  let  us  look  at 
something  more  agreeable — let  us  seek  flowers. 

Miss  E. — There  are  no  flowers  here. 

Mrs.  S. — Do  you  see  that  beautiful  plant — crushed  down 
like  a  lily — like  a  cup  in  shape — of  a  white  color  ?  The 
sun  don't  shine  here.     These  are  curious  plants. 

Miss  E. — ^They  are  mushrooms. 

Mrs.  S. — I  don't  like  this  place  ?    I  fear  there  are  snakes. 

These  were  once  beautiful  walks.  They  were  covered 
with  small  pebbles  of  various  colors,  like  jewels.  And 
here  is  a  bouquet  basket. 

Miss  E. — -What  is  this  place  built  here,  with  a  figure  in- 
side ?  It  is  a  garden  idol.  It  is  not  so  perfect  as  those 
inside.     He  was  supposed  to  control  the  elements. 

Mrs.  S. — Let  us  return — we  have  gone  far  enough. 

Miss  E. — Must  we  go  back  ?  We  shall  have  to  come 
again,  and  we  shall  yet  see  beautiful  sights. 

Mrs.  S. — But  I  am  very  tired,  let  us  go.     Oh,  now  that 


8PIEITUALISM.  399 

we  are  outside,  how  pure  the  air  feels !  What  a  soft,  warm 
glow !  I  don't  want  to  go  in  there  again.  Kext  time  let 
them  send  some  one  else.  Do  you  suppose  we  have  done 
any  good? 

Miss  E. — Yes,  of  course,  we  have  done  much  good.  I 
suppose  they  thought  that  we  had  curiosity  enough  to  wish 
to  see  all  those  things.  "VYe  certainly  did  good  to  that  un- 
happy spirit,  and  we  have  observed  the  things  shown  to 
us,  so  that  they  might  be  recorded,  and  we  have  done  our 
duty. 

Let  us  return. 


tciian  Jfiftg-ane. 

Thursday,  April  lAth,  1854. 

The  circio  met  at  Mr.  Sweet's.  All  present  except  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Dexter. 

Mrs.  Sweet  and  Laura  were  influenced,  and  carried  on  their  dialogue 
nearly  in  these  words  : 

Mrs.  Sweet. — Now  we  are  drawn  down  into  that  dark 
place  again.. 

Lauka. — It  is  not  as  cold  as  it  was  before. 

Mes.  S. — Turn  and  look  at  the  spirits,  and  see  who  are 
with  us. 

L. — ^The  same  there  were  before. 

Mrs.  S. — -A  whisper  comes  over  my  shoulder,  saying, 
"We  used  to  live  here."  Could  bright  spirits  ever  have 
lived  in  such  a  gloomy  place?  He  says,  "It  was  not  so 
gloomy  and  ruined  a  place  when  we  lived  here.  It  was 
then  a  city  of  splendor  and  magnificence,  of  riches,  and  of 
mighty  men." 


400  SPIRITUALISM. 

L. — In  what  were  they  mighty  ?     In  the  arts  ? 

Mes.  S. — Yes. 

L. — And  in  war  ? 

Mrs.  S. — Yes.  and  more  especially  the  latter;  but  in  the 
arts,  see  what  beautiful  ruins  are  still  here,  after  a  lapse  of 
so  many  ages.  Behold  the  crumbling  ruins  of  what  was 
once  so  beautiful ! 

L. — Are  we  in  the  city  now,  or  only  in  the  outskirts? 
Methinks  we  are  in  an  outer  building.  .W; 

Mrs.  S. — It  is  growing  colder.  The  spirits  are  taking  us 
in  a  different  direction. 

L. — It  is  a  long  avenue  that  seems  to  have  no  end. 

Mrs.  S. — Isn't  it  a  long  avenue?    I  don't  like  to  go. 

L. — But  let  us  try  and  see. 

Mrs.  S. — It  is  winding,  and  leads  into  darkness.  "Will 
the  spirits  go  with  us  and  lead  us  ?  it  looks  so  gloomy. 

L. — Oh,  fear  not ;  they  will  guide  us  well,  and  show  the 
way. 

Mrs.  S. — Don't  you  see  ?  we  will  have  to  stoop  down. 

L. — Oh  1  how  dark  and  cold  it  is  here  ! 

Mrs.  S. — See  !  the  stones  of  this  entrance  appear  to  be 
great  blocks  of  granite  or  red  freestone,  with  shining  specks 
in  it,  veined  in  places. 

L. — Yes,  it  is  most  beautiful  to  behold. 

Mrs.  S. — "Would  you  not  like  to  gather  specimens  of 
this  stone  ? 

L. — Yes.  Shall  we  merely  stand  on  the  threshold  of  this 
subterranean  passage,  or  shall  we  penetrate  and  seek  the 
entrance  ?     Let  us  try. 

Mrs.  S. — We  shall  never  get  through  this  dark  place. 
There  must  be  a  gate. 

L. — How  slippery  it  is  here !  every  thing  is  covered  with 
slime  and  a  cold  sweat. 

<  Mrs.  S. — Oh !  feel  the  stones ;  the  moss  on  the  walls 
is  of  the  same  slimy  substance.  Take  care,  or  we  shall 
meet  with  reptiles  of  some  kind. 

L. — ^There  is  nothins:  that  can  live  here ;  have  no  fear. 


SPIRITUALISM.  401 

Let  us  proceed  and  hasten  through,  that  we  may  find  the 
light,  and  not  tarry  here  in  trembling. 

Mrs.  S. — I  am  afraid  to  go  there,  it  is  such  a  long,  long 
passage.  Oh!  the  spirit  by  you  has  his  hand  on  your 
shoulder.     I  wish  they  would  come  as  close  to  me. 

L. — Let  us  hasten  on. 

Mrs.  S. — Oh !  do  you  see  that  gate  before  us  ?  We  must 
pass  through  that  entrance,  and  I  see  a  faint  glimmer  of 
light. 

L. — The  gate  is  very  massive,  and  appears  to  be  locked ; 
how  are  w^e  to  open  it  ?  There  is  a  secret  spring,  and  I 
should  judge  this  was  the  dividing  line  between  two  sec- 
tions of  country. 

Mrs.  S.— Here  we  are  by  the  gate ;  how  does  it  opea,  T 
wonder  ? 

L. — By  touching  the  spring,  .and  pushing  it  up. 

Mrs.  S. — Is  that  the  way  they  open  gates  here  1  I  never 
saw  such  curious  locks,  if  that  is  one. 

L. — But  it  is  all  rusty,  and  I  don't  see  how  we  are  to 
open  it.  Come  help  me  push  it  up ;  it  is  too  massive  for 
us  to  move  it. 

Mrs.  S. — Wait.  Spirit-guides  are  coming.  There  !  one 
has  opened  it. 

L. — Oh  !  how  simple  is  the  operation;  they  are  familiar 
with  every  thing  here.  Oh,  see  I  we  will  have  to  pass 
quickly,  or  the  gate  will  close  and  catch  us.  I  think  this 
must  have  been  a  secret  passage  for  the  monarchs  to  trav- 
erse throughout  their  dominions. 

Mrs.  S. — It  seems  to  me  that  we  have  entered  a  different 
country  ;  just  look  back  upon  the  dark  pasage  we  have  left. 
Do  you  see  the  globe  suspended  from  the  roof  of  the  en-- 
trance  before  us  ?  and  there  is  a  face  carved  in  stone,  and 
heads  of  strange-looking  animals.     How  curious  ! 

L. — ^Yes,  and  haw  beautiful  and  perfect  are  the  figures  ! 
And  there  is  an  animal  resembling  a  goat,  yet  appears 
to  be  a  cow.  How  unlike  any  thing  we  ever  saw  be- 
fore 1 

26 


40^  SPIRITtJALISM. 

Mrs.  S. — There  is  a  bird  with  horns  ;  he  is  as  large  as 
an  eagle. 

L. — How  beautiful  is  the  workmanship  ! 

Mrs.  S. — It  is  better  walking  here  ;  the  road  is  well 
made  and  smooth,  and  there  is  grass  growing  here. 

L. — Yes,  it  is  delightful,  and  every  pebble  glistens  as 
though  each  was  a  precious  stone.  Oh  !  there  are  flowers 
here,  some  very  singular  in  their  appearance.  There  is  one 
which  is  formed  of  a  tall  stem,  resembling  the  sugar-cane  ; 
it  is  about  three  feet  in  height,  and  at  the  top  is  a  large 
bell-flower,  with  rounded  edges,  and  is  of  coarse  texture. 
It  looks  hardy  and  tough  ;  the  leaves  grow  at  the  base  of 
the  plant. 

Mrs.  S. — Let  us  go  on.  I  see  houses  in  the  distance. 
The  sun  shines  here.  Where  is  the  sun  ?  I  see  the  light, 
.but  not  the  sky  or  sun. 

L. — Do  you  not  see  that  the  light  only  penetrates  in 
spots,  and  illumines  the  place  here  and  there  only  ?  This 
must  be  a  buried  city. 

Mrs.  S. — I  wonder  if  the  place  is  inhabited !  "What  a 
queer  shaped  house  that  is  ! 

L. — It  is  an  octagon-shaped  building,  the  roof  round,  and 
gradually  formed  to  a  sharp  point,  and  a  golden  ball  at  the 
itop. 

Mrs.  S. — Let  us  enter  that  building  and  examine  it. 
Now  just  open  the  door.  How  massive  it  is  !  It  must  be 
very  old. 

L. — It  is  made  of  bamboo,  or  something  resembling  it. 

Mrs.  S. — Those  spirits  follow  us  here.  There  are  figures 
cut  out  in  the  walls,  birds  and  beasts,  and  even  fishes  ;  the 
walls  are  of  a  substance  resembling  plaster. 

L. — Do  you  see  the  fish  have  horns  ?  Oh  !  there  is  a 
body — a  figure  crouching  in  the  corner.  There  has  been 
death  here.  It  is  the  body  of  one  of  our  attendant  spirits. 
It  is  not  very  beautiful. 

Mrs.  S. — I  wonder  if  the  spirit  brought  us  here  to  see 
his  bones  J 


SPIRITUALISM.  403 

L. — I  hope  he  is  better-looking  now,  for  that  is  a  horrid- 
looking  figure. 

Mks.  S. — The  spirit  says  we  are  not  able  to  judge  of  his 
spirit  by  seeing  his  bones.  Just  wait  till  we  see  him  in  the 
spirit-world. 

L. — I  want  to  examine  those  bones ;  let  us  go  shake 
them. 

Mks.  S. — Oh,  there  are  seats  made  of  stone  all  around  the 
room,  and  there  are  windows  here  resembling  those  we 
saw  in  the  dark  building. 

L. — Do  you  notice  that  it  is  not  glass,  but  a  soft  sub- 
stance resembling  glue,  and  is  very  richly  colored?  and 
though  the  light  penetrates,  yet  you  can  not  discern  ob- 
jects through  it. 

Mrs.  S. — It  is  not  as  transparent  as  glass,  and  is  much 
coarser.  The  spirit  is  speaking  again ;  he  tells  us  to  go 
in  further  to  another  chamber. 

L. — Oh,  see  !  the  walls  of  the  apartment  are  of  blue 
stone — very  beautiful,  are  they  not  ? 

Mrs.  S. — But  this  is  a  pretty  place.  There  is  a  fountain 
in  the  center  of  the  room ;  and  do  you  observe?  there  is  a 
figure  of  marble  in  the  middle  of  the  basin,  and  all  around 
the  room  are  figures  of  females  and  children  projecting 
from  the  wall.     The  females  have  on  curious  garments. 

L. — Yes,  and  the  skirts  are  like  those  we  saw  when  we 
were  in  that  dark  palace;  even  the  texture  is  the  same, 
and  it  is  wonderful  how  the  colors  have  been  preserved, 
so  gorgeous  and  rich  as  they  are. 

Mrs.  S. — Why  don't  they  have  representations  of  angels, 
instead  of  those  females  ?    I  don't  like  the  looks  of  those. 

L. — Because  they  knew  not  of  life  hereafter,  and  their 
tastes  being  sensual,  they  gratified  them  in  this  manner. 
Did  you  observe,  sister-spirit,  the  design  of  the  fountain  ? 
The  water  is  led  up  the  center  of  the  body,  flows  from  the 
heads,  and  falls  on  the  outstretched  hands. 

Mrs.  S. — Oh,  those  figures  are  disagreeable,  don't  you 
think  so  ?  ♦  ^ 


404:  SPIRITUALISM. 

L.— Yes,  their  faces  are  coarse,  with  protruding  lips, 
broad  noses,  and  round-shaped  faces  ;  they  were  very- 
animal  in  their  natures  —  very  little  spiritual  about 
them. 

Mrs.  S. — Do  you  see  ?  there  has  been  a  stream  of  water 
running  through  a  marble  channel,  and  fishes  of  every 
kind  were  here.  Why,  Laura,  they  worshiped  the  fishes, 
the  birds,  and  these  figures.  Oh !  what  a  religion  was 
theirs  !  Hark !  the  spirit  is  speaking  ;  he  says,  "They  had 
very  crude  ideas  of  divinity,  they  worshiped  him  in  all  sorts 
of  distorted  forms,  and  through  all  sorts  of  fancies,  their 
imagination  running  riot,  leading  them  into  monstrosities." 
I  would  like  to  leave  here.  The  spirit  says  it  makes  him 
gloomy  to  remain  here,  because  memory  is  refreshed,  and 
he  thinks  of  the  days  he  spent  here ;  he  would  be  glad  to 
go  too. 

L. — I  should  think  he  would  be,  but  it  is  our  duty  to 
examine  all.  I  should  think  all  would  appear  strange  to 
him. 

Mrs.  S.— "Hark!"  he  says.  "This  place  seems  no 
more  natural  to  me  than  it  does  to  you.  I  have  lived  be- 
yond it,  forgotten  it,  save  as  a  spot  where  my  spirit  first 
received  its  earthly  tenement,  and  was  divested  of  its  hor- 
rible and  sensual  grossness." 

L.— Oh,  let  us  pass  from  this  apartment  aow. 

Mrs.  S.— There  is  something  else  to  look  at,  he  says,  be- 
fore we  go  ;  it  is  the  figure  of  a  female  with  a  babe  in  her 
arms  ;  her  hair  flows  to  her  waist ;  she  is  tall,  noble-look- 
ing, but  gross,  and  far  from  delicate.  ITotice  her  dress — 
her  breast  exposed,  arms  bare,  and  only  covered  with  orna- 
ments. Oh  !  see,  there  are  strange- looking  musical  instru- 
ments in  the  corner ;  let  us  examine  them. 

L. — ^There  is  a  triangle  formed  of  a  very  beautiful,  light- 
colored  wood  of  great  fragrance,  and  there  are  strings  at- 
tached to  it,  and  there  is  also  a  long  pipe,  three  feet  long, 
with  a  trumpet  end,  all  perfect,  but  somewhat  discordant 
in  sound. 


SPIRITUALISM.  405 

Mrs.  S. — See !  Laura,  there  is  written  music ;  I  can  not 
decipher  it. 

L. — It  is  written  on  parchment  with  a  mineral  which  re- 
sembles coal,  and  therefore  the  letters  or  figures  are  large 
and  black. 

Mrs.  S. — I  guess  they  did  not  have  printed  music  then. 

L. — Observe  the  floor  of  this  room ;  it  is  wood  inlaid, 
and  very  beautifully  polished. 

Mrs.  S.— I  thought  it  was  marble,  but  I  see  now  that  the 
wood  is  inlaid  so  as  to  represent  flowers,  animals,  etc.,  and 
is  of  various  colors. 

L. — Judging  from  the  splendor  here,  the  spirit  must 
have  been  one  of  the  grandees,  if  this  was  his  abode.  There 
is  a  secret  door  at  your  left ;  they  must  have  been  an  in- 
triguing people,  for  there  are  so  many  secret  passages  and 
doors,  they  must  have  loved  deceiving. 

Mrs.  S. — The  spirit  says  they  were  an  intriguing  people, 
and  needed  all  the  mysteries  of  art  and  evil-mindedness 
to  conceal  their  evil  deeds.  They  were  very  sensual,  lov- 
ing the  worship  of  idols  better  than  what  was  professed  at 
the  altar  where  their  prayers  could  be  answered  by  the 
most  high  God.  The  spirit  seems  very  solemn,  folds  his 
hands,  and  says,  ^'Ay!  you  would  be  solemn,  too,  could 
you  stand  and  gaze  on  ruined  houses  where  you  once  en- 
joyed life  in  its  fullest  sense,  andcould  you  feel  having  lived 
only  to  enjoy  the  present,  never  thinking  of  the  future,  you 
had  been  called  suddenly  away,  and  beheld  in  an  instant 
the  great  ignorance  and  evils  of  earthly  life.  You  would 
mourn  as  I  do,  on  gazing  on  the  graves  of  so  many  un- 
risen  souls  who  yet  remain  far  down  in  ignorance  and 
darkness." 

L. — ^Tell  him  not  to  feel  so  sadly  ;  there  is  a  chance  for 
such  spirits  to  rise.  Tell  him  to  look  on  the  scenes  of  by- 
gone days  with  more  cheerfulness  ;  there  is  hope  for  all. 

Mrs.  S. — I  wish  he  wouldn't  feel  so  gloomy.  But  he  says 
it  is  for  his  people  he  mourns.  He  knows  there  is  hope, 
for  by  looking  and  striving  he  has  redeemed  himself  from 


4:06  SPIRITUALISM. 

his  crushed  and  darkened  state  ;  and  in  order  to  advance, 
he  has  been  sent  to  guide  us,  and  show  us  how  he  lived 
when  he  had  thought  of  nothing  beyond  a  luxurious  and 
licentious  life. 

L. — Will  he  allow  us  to  leave  here  now,  and  examine  the 
interior  of  the  building  ? 

Mrs.  S. — He  says  Yes,  he  is  going  to  conduct  us  to  the 
place  of  worship.  We  are  only  on  the  first  floor — we  have 
not  ascended  the  stairs  yet. 

L. — Had  not  this  spirit  once  a  title  ?  for  here  all  is  splen- 
dor. 

Mrs.  S. — ^Yes,  he  was  one  of  the  king's  counselors. 
Here  is  an  altar  made  of  stone,  upon  which  is  placed  their 
chief  idol. 

L. — And  it  is  covered  with  jewels ;  it  has  only  one 
eye,  which  is  in  the  center  of  the  face,  and  resembles  a  bull's 
eye. 

Mrs.  S. — Oh !  it  is  a  horrid-looking  image,  and  what  a 
terrible  atmosphere  pervades  the  place !  The  spirit  says  it 
is  difficult  even  for  him  to  remain  here. 

L. — Do  you  see  ?  there  are  many  idols  surrounding  the 
chief  one.  They  are  the  minor  gods,  and  were  supposed  to 
be  ruled  by  the  chief  god. 

Mrs.  S. — At  the  other  end  of  this  apartment  is  a  dark 
stone  altar  on  which  ashes  are  scattered. 

L. — By  the  appearance  of  the  whole  altar,  they  must  have 
sacrificed  human  beings. 

Mrs.  S. — Oh !  do  let  us  leave  this  place ;  don't  go  there. 

L. — Oh,  yes,  I  must,  for  there  is  so  much  to  learn  that  is 
interesting.  Come ;  if  you  do  not  wish  to  go,  stay  there, 
and  I  will  go  alone. 

Mrs.  S. — The  altar  is  about  ten  feet  long,  and  at  one  end 
there  is  a  huge  caldron.  At  the  other  are  the  bones  of  the 
victims.  Laura,  have  you  seen  any  iron  here?  I  have 
not,  every  thing  is  stone. 

L. — The  caldron  is  of  copper,  and  is  a  receptacle  for  the 
animals  sacrificed. 


S  PIE  IT  UAL  ISM.  407 

Mrs.  S. — Tliey  put  in  the  animals  when  they  worship- 
ed ;  they  put  in  spices  and  bodies  of  beasts  anointed  with 
sweet-smelling  odors.  They  took  out  the  entrails  mixed 
with  spices,  and  the  odoriferous  incense  scented  the  air  and 
affected  the  senses  of  the  worshipers,  and  they  were  filled 
with  delirious  joy  and  praised  their  idol. 

L. — Once  a  year  the  people  were  allowed  to  enter  and 
prostrate  themselves  in  gratitude  for  the  great  privilege. 

Mrs.  S. — Why,  they  used  to  sacrifice  slaves  here ! 

L. — ^Yes,  they  captured  the  most  beautiful  females  and 
children,  and  sacrificed  them  to  their  gods  as  the  greatest 
offering. 

Mrs.  S. — Oh !  let  us  leave  here,  'tis  too  dreadful  to 
think  of. 

L. — Do  you  see  that  bright  spirit,  that  beautiful  female  ? 
It  is  one  that  was  sacrificed  here. 

Mrs.  S. — Oh,  I  must  leave  here,  for  methinks  I  hear  the 
groans  of  the  dying  mingled  with  the  adoration  of  the 
people.  When  the  victims  were  burned,  they  strewed  the 
ashes  upon  the  worshipers.  I  want  to  leave  very  much. 
It  makes  me  feel  bad.  It  seems  as  if  I  can  see  crowds  of. 
spirits  sad  and  gloomy.  I  see  now  that  bright,  beautiful 
spirit !  Ask  her  to  speak,  you  saw  her  first.  Her  hands 
are  folded  on  her  breast.  What  a  heavenly  expression ! 
she  will  speak  to  you. 

L. — She  is  very  beautiful.  She  says,  "  I  was  indeed  one 
of  the  fair  daughters  of  a  race  of  beings  celebrated  in  war. 
I  was  captured  by  these  people — a  rude  and  cruel  race — 
was  torn  from  the  diearest  ties  that  bound  me  to  earth,  was 
sacrificed  on  this  altar,  and  when  the  breath  left  the  body, 
I  felt  I  was  leaving  for  a  better  land ;  for  often,  when  gazing 
upon  Nature's  works,  I  knew  there  was  bliss  yet  unfolded, 
that  there  was  a  better,  brighter  land.  And  when  my 
body  was  tortured,  my  spirit  was  rejoicing  with  the  bright 
ones  unseen.  There  are  many  spirits  here,  and  those  be- 
yond you,  oh  mortals!  to  whom  I  come.  They  had  one 
talent,  and  many  used  it  to  their  best  knowledge,  and  some 


408  SPIRITUALISM. 

neglected  it.  My  mission  now  is  to  them.  I  come  to  tell 
them  I  forgive  them.  I  come  to  point  the  way.  See  you 
not  that  upon  their  brows  is  stamped  the  mark  of  my  ashes 
long  since  placed  there,  and  now  I  will  guide  them  onward 
and  upward." 

Mrs.  S. — See  wdiat  a  gentle  spirit  she  is !  She  truly 
loves  her  Creator,  smiling  on  tliese  poor  creatures.  See 
their  saddened  faces  !  she  is  leaving  flowers  for  them. 
Were  we  brou2:ht  here  to  see  this  and  tell  of  it  ? 

L. — Yes  ;  does  not  this  lesson  reward  us? 

Mrs.  S. — See !  she  has  gone.  Why  are  our  feet  so 
cold? 

L. — It  seems  as  though  the  winds  of  heaven  never  pene- 
trated here. 

Mrs.  S. — It  does  not  seem  as  though  there  could  be  spir- 
its down  in  this  dark,  dismal  place,  here,  where  she  was 
sacrificed.  And  she  has  come  to  aid  them !  Oh,  how  dead 
the  air  is  around  us. 

L. — Let  us  leave  here.     We  have  seen  enough  of  this. 

Mrs.  S. — The  spirit  says,  "Ascend  the  stairs  and  gaze 
around  the  country."  The  stairs  are  broad — broad  as  our 
house  is  wide.     Steep,  unlike  ours. 

L. — The  stone  of  which  they  are  formed  is  the  same  pure 
crystal  that  we  saw  before. 

Mrs.  S. — There  are  holes  cut  in  the  steps ;  why  are 
they  so  ? 

L. — That  the  air  may  have  vent  from  below,  it  preserves 
the  stone. 

Mrs.  S. — The  spirit  says,  "  Observe  the  lines  drawn  on 
each  side  of  the  steps  ;  the  slaves  were  obliged  to  pass  on 
the  outside,  and  were  not  permitted  to  step  on  the  center, 
so  great  were  the  distinctions  between  the  classes." 

L. — Let  us  ascend  and  view  the  surrounding  country. 

Mrs.  S. — Oh  !  what  a  scene  of  desolation  and  ruin ;  some 
buildings  fallen,  and  half  covered  with  sand. 

L. — Do  you  not  see  some  houses  standing  partly  covered 
with  stones  and  lava,  a  black-and-red  matter  crushed  in 


SPIKITUALISM.  409 

masses ;  some  are  white,  and  there  are  trees  growiDg  amid 
the  ruins. 

Mrs.  S. — There  are  flowers  and  plants  here  very  beauti- 
ful. It  looks  as  though  an  earthquake  had  visited  this 
place,  and  many  buildings  are  untouched.  How  can  any 
thing  else  live  here  in  this  desolation  ?  Look !  there  is  a 
singular  garden.     What  is  it? 

L. — It  is  an  ancient  hanging  garden,  and  on  every  side 
are  drooping  vines  looking  as  though  they  sprang  from  the 
air.  See  that  temple  beyond  ;  it  is  formed  of  different 
colored  stones.  Let  us  look  at  it ;  in  its  center  is  an 
image  with  eyes  in  the  side  of  the  head,  with  ears  hanging 
to  the  shoulders,  the  nose  flat.  What  is  in  his  teeth? 
fruits  of  the  earth.  They  offered  to  this  idol  the  first  fruits 
in  every  year,  in  order  to  propitiate  him. 

Mrs.  S. — What  an  old  temple  it  is  !  that  image  has 
wings.     On  each  side  of  this  god  is  a  little  image. 

L. — Do  you  see  what  they  hold  in  their  hands  ?  hearts. 
In  the  spring  of  the  year  the  youths  and  maidens  were  be- 
trothed here  before  these  idols,  and  they  offered  them  their 
love. 

Mrs.  S. — Oh  !  what  looking  things  they  are.  They  must 
have  appreciated  the  offerings.  What  little  imps  they  are ! 
The  spirit  says,  No  scandal  of  his  gods.  They  used  to  con- 
sider them  beautiful,  and  young  maidens  used  to  do  hom- 
age here. 

L. — How  winding  is  this  path  !  let  us  seek  it. 

Mrs.  S. — Take  care,  you  will  falL  There  is  something 
buried  in  the  sand.  Stop  until  I  see  what  it  is.  I  have 
got  it  out ;  it  is  a  stone  foot,  very  ugly.  It  must  be  that 
of  an  idol ;  oh !  it  is  so  ugly.  Come  away !  I  don't  like 
these  things.     The  spirit  says  I  am  a  coward. 

L. — I  am  going  back  to  get  that  foot.  See,  it  is  of  stone, 
broad  and  flat ;  it  was  their  god  of  the  minerals.  On  the 
sole  of  the  foot  are  jewels. 

Mrs.  S. — Let  us  go  from  here,  now.  The  spirit  says  that 
the  foot  was  supposed  to  preside  over  all  things.     Their 


410  SPIRITUALISM. 

divinities  were  always  tangible  as  well  as  worsliipers ; 
every  thing  was  external  and  gross. 

L. — Are  there  ever  moon  and  stars  visible  here  ? 

Mks.  S. — Tlie  spirit  says,  "Go  on,  and  you  will  see  some 
of  our  ancient  paintings." 

L. — Oh  !  that  will  be  interesting.  What  makes  it  so 
rongh  here  ? 

Mrs.  S. — It  is  the  ruined  temples  and  stones  crumbling 
to  dust.  There  is  a  house  with  the  door  open — a  very  low, 
square  house  of  a  yellow  color. 

L. — Let's  go  in.  There  is  a  queer  picture  gallery  of 
parchments  hung  up  all  over.  There  is  moss  hanging 
from  the  roof— very  beautiful.  There  are  figures  on  the 
wall — a  horse  standing  on  two  legs.  There  is  another,  it  is 
that  of  a  man,  and  his  head  is  shaped  in  a  peak,  like  the 
roof  of  a  house. 

Mrs.  S. — The  spirit  says  this  was  the  rendezvous  for  the 
higher  classes  ;  there  were  not  many  such  places  in  the 
city,  for  the  class  of  minds  who  were  attracted  by  these 
things  w^ere  few.  The  paintings  were  performed  by  nat- 
ural genius,  prompted  only  by  love  of  them — not  having  in 
our  city  such  regulations  as  you  have.  Slaves  performed 
most  of  the  work,  often  excelling  in  the  labor  and  purity 
of  conception.  They  were  of  a  different  race,  and  were 
prisoners  of  w^ar  put  to  menial  occupations. 

Mrs.  S. — Do  you  see  how  the  paintings  are  fastened  ? 

L. — Yes,  they  are  parchments  stretched  across  at  the 
sides  upon  wooden  frames. 

Mrs.  S. — There  is  a  scene  of  the  people  sacrificing  slaves, 
a  representation  of  the  manner  of  which  w^e  have  been  told. 
I  do  not  admire  tlie  conceptions,  but  the  colors  are  very 
rich. 

L. — ^The  flowers  painted  are  very  coarse,  and  merely 
sketched.     Shall  we  leave  here  for  home  now  ? 

Mrs.  S. — Yes ;  if  you  wish  we  can  go  home  and  come 
again ;  he  will  tell  us  more  next  time.  He  can  not  in  our 
language  call  things  by  their  proper  names,  but  he  will 


8PIBITTTALISM.  411 

speak  as  plainly  as  possible.  He  says  he  could  show  us 
many  things  that  would  frighten  us :  then  I  don't  want  to 
see  them.  He  says  I  must  do  many  things  I  don't  like, 
and  I'll  be  glad  of  it  afterward.  He  is  taking  us  out  by 
the  gate. 


ution  Jfiftg-tfoff. 


Thursday^  April  20,  1854. 

The  circle  met  this  evenin-g  in  my  library,  all  present  except  Mrs. 
D,     It  was  first  written  through  the  Doctor : 

I  WISH,  dear  friends,  that  you  could  see  the  faces  of  the 
many  spirits  that  are  with  you,  lighted  up  by  a  feeling  that 
imparts  such  a  radiance,  that  they  sparkle  like  stars.  'Tis 
for  joy  that  you  are  onc5  more  together*  and  at  work  ;  'tis 
for  the  future ;  'tis  for  the  great  good  that  will  be  done  ; 
'tis  for  time  ;  'tis  for  eternity. 

I  can  come  nearer  through  you.  Doctor,  with  your  pres- 
ent feelings,  than  I  ever  could  before,  and  I  know  that  we 
have  all  progressed,  or  this  could  not  be.  Bacon. 

Through  Laura  it  was  then  said  : 

We  come  from  our  far-distant  homes  to  bring  truth  in 
every  form,  and  now  will  we  come,  like  harbingers  of  morn, 
and  tell  of  the  triumph  of  truth.  The  birds,  at  early  dawn, 
carol  their  sweet  songs  to  awaken  nature  from  her  repose, 
and  in  one  voice  send  up  to  God  their  glad  tribute  of  praise. 
As  dawn  passes  on,  each  warbles  its  notes  to  Heaven  ;  and 

*  The  long  absence  of  the  Doctor  and  myself,  on  our  Western  mission  and 
other  causes,  had  intermpted  our  full  meetings  for  a  period  of  over  three 
months. 


412  SPIRITUALISM. 

as  night  approaches,  and  all  nature  retires  to  rest,  the 
warbler  continues  his  song  till  the  last  hour  of  day,  when 
relieved  by  the  bird  of  night,  whose  hooting  sounds  from 
hill  to  hill,  and  echo  sends  it  back  again. 

Thus  it  is  with  truth.  Morning  dawns  again,  and  the 
song  reverberates.  It  has  risen  with  the  morn,  and  is 
sounded  abroad  in  the  earth ;  everywhere  its  notes  are 
heard  joyful,  solemn,  deep  in  tone — different,  yet  blending 
and  making  one  harmonious  song.  Man  has  arisen,  awak- 
ened by  the  sound  of  truth  stealing  on  the  ear  with  its 
gentlest  musical  tones.  "Whence  comes  the  sound  ?  From 
the  far-distant  spheres  it  comes,  and  he  enjoys  it.  The 
weary,  way-worn  traveler,  seeking  the  path  to  a  safe  haven, 
hears  its  loud  whistle.  It  is  music  to  his  ears,  and  reminds 
him  of  his  childhood,  and  truth,  dawning  upon  his  soul, 
reigns  triumphant.  The  busy  man  of  the  world,  heeding 
only  himself,  looking  only  to  gain,  hears  the  deep-toned 
hooting  of  the  midnight  owl,  and  he  starts  anew  and  asks 
what  is  it  ?  It  is  truth,  with  all  its  solemnity,  visiting  his 
heart.  He  stands  and  listens,  yet  heeds  it  not ;  but  ever 
and  anon  it  reaches  his  would-be-|leaf  ear,  and  he  can  turn 
nowhere  that  he  does  not  hear  the  sound. 

As  noon  arises  he  is  surrounded  by  the  sounds  from  every 
tree,  and  shrub,  and  flower,  and  heart  that  is  throbbing 
around  him,  that  truth  is  triumphant.  Prepare  the  way 
for  its  coming  in  all  the  glory  of  heaven.  Yet  still  hard- 
ening his  heart,  he  pushes  his  way  on,  stumbling,  falling, 
weary  and  worn,  and  sits  him  down  by  the  way-side.  Trav- 
elers pass  him  by,  each  with  a  palm  of  peace  in  his  hand. 
He  wonders  where  they  received  the  boon  ?  and  the  an- 
swer is.  It  was  given  by  Truth. 

Young  childhood  hears  the  whisper  of  the  winds  and  the 
gentle  notes  of  the  birds,  and  listens  with  joy,  for  he  knows 
it  is  the  voice  of  Truth,  and  he  travels  on,  rejoicing  ever- 
more. 

The  sorrowing  female,  bowed  by  grief  and  cares,  sees  no 
noon  for  her  ;  all  around  her  are  clouds  and  darkness.    All 


.     SPIRITUALISM.  413 

nature  seems  wrapped  in  mourning,  and  as  she  sorrowing 
treads  on  her  weary  way,  the  sweet,  joyous  song  greets  her 
ear,  bids  her  hope,  and  tells  her  it  is  Truth  passing  and 
surrounding  her,  and  she  must  embrace  it  if  she  would 
behold  nature  clothed  as  of  old.  She  starts,  and  cries, 
"Whence  that  voice  ?"  Cherubs  answer,  "  Beloved  moth- 
er, we  come  to  bring  you  of  that  blessing.  We  come  to  tell 
of  a  land  where  thy  lost  ones  are.  Embrace  the  new  gift, 
and  to  thee  too  will  be  given  the  palm  of  peace,  and  thou 
mayst  go  on  rejoicing." 

Thus  shall  it  be.  Truth  shall  go  from  clime  to  clime. 
You  shall  never  see  its  setting  sun,  but  it  will  be  a  beacon- 
light  to  all — to  each  a  staff  to  aid  up  the  hill  of  progression. 
Treasure  the  precious  boon  of  Heaven.  I  thought  I  had 
the  gift,  but  I  had  only  the  outside  bark ;  now  I  have  the 
staff  itself.  The  covering  has  crumbled,  and  now  I  lean  on 
the  pure  crystal  staff.  Oh !  let  me  ever  grasp  it  tighter, 
and  it  shall  be  my  guide  to  my  God. 

Then,  through  me,  it  was  said  : 

I  am  borne  far  off  into  the  regions  of  space,  amid  the 
countless  worlds  that  roll  through  the  vast  expanse.  I 
stand  alone,  surrounded  by  the  blue  ethereal — illuminated 
only  by  the  sparkling  worlds  rolling  round  me — some  near — 
some  far  off— with  inconceivable  velocity,  and  yet  in  direct 
obedience  to  the  will  which  has  fashioned  and  speeded 
them  on  their  eternal  way.  I  see  them  of  various  sizes, 
of  many  hues,  of  every  conceivable  variety  of  intensity  of 
light.  Amid  this  vast  and  living  universe  I  stand  alone. 
But  a  voice  speaks  to  my  ear,  "  Seest  thou  falsehood  here? 
What  speak  these  mighty  creations  of  His  hand  but  His 
truth  ?  As  they  move  on  in  their  eternal  paths,  they  carry 
the  truth  as  His  messengers  throughout  His  boundless  crea- 
tion. They  proclaim  truth  as  they  roll.  Emanations  as 
they  are  from  Himself,  from  His  inconceivable  wisdom, 
from  His  boundless  power,  they  are  the  embodiment  of 
His  truth,  and  ever  speak  it  to  the  universe  through  which 


4:14:  SPIRITUALISM. 

they  are  wending  on  their  never-ending.journey.  Panse  ! 
oh,  mortal !  and  behold,  if  thou  canst,  how  vast,  how  om- 
nipotent, how  enduring,  how  unwavering  is  the  truth  which 
they  proclaim,  and  canst  thou  conceive  that  amid  these 
rolling  orbs,  falsehood  can  find  a  resting-place?  That  it 
can  speak  to  the  intelligence  that  emanates  from  God  him- 
self aught  but  truth  ?  Pause  yet  awhile,  and  grasp  within 
thy  mind,  if  thou  canst,  the  mighty  lesson  of  truth  which 
these  countless  worlds,  spread  out  before  you  like  a  span- 
gled carpet,  are  teaching  to  you  and  to  the  myriads  of  sen- 
tient beings,  who,  like  you,  are  of  Him  and  to  Him.  And 
standing  thus  amid  a  boundless  universe  of  truth,  breathing 
thus  into  thy  nostrils  an  atmosphere  which  is  truth  alone, 
imbibing  from  its  life-giving  qualities  the  very  spirit  of 
truth,  canst  thou  conceive  of  the  mind  that  would  seek  for 
falsehood  here,  rather  than  truth  ?  Enter  one  of  these  glo- 
rious orbs  which  roll  around  you,  and  view  its  habitations 
and  its  inhabitants,  see  how  lovely  is  the  scene  which  opens 
to  your  view  !  See  how  gorgeous,  and  yet  how  grateful  is 
the  light  which  rests  on  that  scene  !  See  how  pure,  how 
bright,  how  full  of  love  toward  each  other  are  they  who 
inhabit  there  !  See  every  heart  beating  for  its  fellow !  See 
how  every  thought  is  laid  bare  to  the  world  around  the  in- 
stant it  is  born,  and  canst  thou  find  here,  amid  this  beauty, 
this  purity,  aught  but  truth  ?  Look  upon  the  broad  plain 
spread  out  before  you,  redolent  with  perfume,  and  re- 
splendent with  nature's  brightest  hues,  and  see  if  thou 
canst  find  there  the  dark  footsteps  of  falsehood  ?  Go  with 
those  bright  spirits  from  their  resting-places  abroad  to  the 
tasks  that  are  before  them,  see  them  marshal  worlds  in 
their  orbits,  evolving  new  worlds  from  the  disjointed  mat- 
ter scattered  through  space,  and  developing  from  it  new 
souls,  candidates  for  immortality,  and  see  if  in  aught  which 
they  perform  here  or  enjoin  there,  thou  canst  find  even  the 
germ  of  falsehood !  Koaming  thus  through  His  vast  crea- 
tions, looking  upon  man  in  his  brightness  and  power,  thou 
canst  find  naught  but  truth. 


8PIEITUALISM.  415 

"Dost  thou  ask  where,  then,  is  falsehood  to  be  found? 
Hither,  mortal !  and  I  will  show  thee.  Descend  with  me 
from  these  bright  abodes.  Let  us  find  a  world  yet  imper- 
fect and  undeveloped,  recently  only  ushered  into  being 
from  the  universe  of  matter  !  and  perchance  we  shall  find 
there  a  being  who  does  not  emit  from  himself  the  light 
which  surrounds  him,  who  perchance  is  dependent  for  his 
light  on  some  material  object  near  him — who  is  bound  to 
the  matter  in  which  he  grovels  by  chains  so  gross  that  you 
almost  marvel  that  he  is  not  fastened,  like  the  rock  or  the 
tree,  to  the  planet  of  which  he  is  a  part.  Alas  !  you  see 
that  his  progress  in  the  path  of  his  ultimate  destiny  has 
been  so  limited  that  he  is  incapable  of  comprehending  even 
the  material  light  by  which  he  sees  ;  and  that  not  only  has 
he  not  advanced  far  enough  himself  to  generate  his  own 
light,  like  the  bright  spirits  whom  you  have  just  seen,  but 
it  is  difficult  for  him  to  comprehend  that  it  can  be  gen- 
erated by  any ;  and  when  that  material  light  in  its  daily 
revolutions  disappears  from  the  world  which  he  inhabits, 
it  leaves  behind  it  a  darkness  even  more  congenial  to  his 
nature  than  the  splendor  of  its  noonday.  Canst  thou  not, 
O  mortal !  here  find  the  germ  of  falsehood  ?  Canst  thou 
not,  amid  the  material  and  moral  darkness  that  broods  over 
their  undeveloped  minds,  perceive  that  falsehood  may  in- 
deed flourish  and  be  most  potent  ? 

"  Go  with  me  still  farther  down.  Behold  those,  who 
have  passed  through  that  material  existence,  after  having 
yielded  to  the  mere  animal  propensities  of  their  nature — 
after  having  denied  that  there  was  light,  and  even  that 
there  was  a  power  that  could  speak  it  into  existence.  Go 
among  them,  bearing  as  they  have,  into  their  present  ex- 
istence, the  darkness  which  they  hugged  to  their  bosoms. 
See  how  gloomy  is  the  air  which  surrounds  them!  how 
murky  and  how  black  is  the  atmosphere  in  which  they 
grovel  still  on !  See  how  the  darkness  of  their  existence 
has  even  discolored  their  material  garments !  Seest  thou 
not  amid  them  the  birthplace  of  falsehood  ?    Seest  thou  not 


416  SPIEITUALISM. 

that  their  whole  life  is  a  living  falsification  of  their  nature 
— almost  every  breath  of  air  they  inhale — every  thought  to 
which  they  give  birth — every  act  of  their  existence  is 
stamped  with  the  falsehood  of  their  dark  abode  ?  Thus, 
oh,  mortal !  have  I  shown  you  man  in  his  extremes,  and 
hast  thou  capacity  to  comprehend  the  lesson? 

Thy  nature  gives  the  choice,  and  it  is  in  thy  power  to  select 
between  the  brightness  of  truth  and  the  darkness  of  false- 
hood. What  is  there  to  prevent  thee  from  choosing  wisely 
and  well  ?  Thy  God  has  endowed  thee  with  the  capacity 
to  choose.  Wilt  thou  choose  in  obedience  to  the  immortal 
instincts  of  thy  nature  ?  or  wilt  thou  acknowledge  the  vas- 
salage of  thy  material  propensities  ?  Answer  for  thyself, 
for  thou  canst;  and  remember,  that  while  Truth  has  her 
abode  amid  her  votaries  in  those  brighter  realms.  Falsehood 
ever  dwells  in  the  darker  regions,  to  which  she  is  full 
mighty  to  draw  down  her  worshipers." 

Through  the  Doctor  it  was  then  said  : 

The  history  of  national  and  individual  sacrifices  given  to 
us  in  the  Old  Testament  is  a  beautiful  illustration  of  what 
is  required  of  the  human  heart  in  its  intercourse  with  God. 
A  sacrifice  in  ancient  days  of  a  lamb,  a  goat,  or  an  ox  was 
in  itself  considered  an  atonement  for  many  sins  which  had 
been  committed  ;  and  when  the  Father  saw  fit  to  indicate 
his  recognition  of  the  sacrifice,  then  the  individual  knew 
he  was  forgiven.  The  illustration  is  most  beautiful,  for  it 
shows  us  that  in  these  days,  instead  of  a  sheep,  a  goat,  or 
an  ox,  the  searcher  after  truth  should  lay  his  own  heart  on 
the  altar  and  ofler  it  as  a  living  sacrifice. 

Why  wanders  the  heart  so  far  away  from  that  which  is 
true  ?  Are  there  falsehoods  that  come  direct  from  God  ? 
Can  he  who  made  us  deceive  us?  Would  there  be  any 
untruth  if  the  heart  did  not  fashion  it  out  of  its  own  gross- 
ness  and  sensuality  ?  What !  to  profess  to  love  God — to  say 
that  we  feel  the  desire  to  be  pure — -to  pray  to  God  that  he 
would  make  us  pure,  and  then  to  use  the  reason  with  which 


SPIRIT  UALISMi^^^  417 

we  are  gifted,  the  high  attributes  of  our  nature,  our  instincts, 
tastes,  education  refined  as  they  may  be — all  j^he  means 
and  appliances  which  surround  us  to  deceive  ourselves  and 
others  ?  Professing  that  God  is  very  beautiful,  and  his 
creation  teeming  with  all  that  is  grand  and  glorious,  then, 
O  !  then,  in  the  face  of  all  we  profess,  basely  to  betray  our- 
selves, our  God,  and  our  principles  ? 

Yet  this  is  the  truth  that  half  the  world  live  upon  and 
dare  to  die  upon.  O !  I  pity  that  man's  heart  that  pro- 
fesses love  to  God  and  man,  and  yet  builds  up  between 
himself  and  heaven  a  wall  of  adamant  hj  the  perversion 
of  his  own  nature.  I  tell  you  that  the  spirits  who  visit 
that  man — what  shall  I  say  ?  they'll  make  a  hell  in  his. 
heart  that  will  pour  out  a  bitter  lava  worse  than  JEtna. 
O!  then,  the  wrongs  done  not  only  to  his  nature,  but  to  the 
eternal  principles  which  God  has  established!  Holding 
up  between  the  light  his  own  base  nature,  the  false  dia- 
monds he  sells  for  truth,  that  some  straggling  ray  may 
catch  the  eye  of  a  deluded  follower,  they  pilfer  all  that  is 
good,  all  that  is  sacred,  all  that  can  be  relied  upon,  and 
very  complacently  say,  I  do  indeed  love  God  and  my 
neighbor ! 

There  is  more  of  evil  in  the  world  that  grows  out  of  hy- 
pocrisy than  almost  any  other  one  cause,  and  one  of  the 
greatest  punishments  which  an  evil  spirit  encounters  when 
he  enters  the  spheres  is  the  knowledge  that  he  can  not 
trust  a  single  soul  he  meets.  'No  wonder  the  wail  of  an 
agonized  heart  wends  its  way  to  Heaven.  ISTo  wonder  that 
the  soul,  conscious  it  has  done  wrong,  pours  out  bitter 
tears  of  unfeigned  repentance.  No  wonder  that  it  draws 
from  the  brigliter  spheres  those  souls  which  catch  the  fall- 
ing tear  and  bear  it  where  it  is  prized  above  rubies.  No 
wonder  that  when  the  soul  wakes  up  to  a  sense  of  the 
wrong  it  has  done — its  own  falsehood  and  deceit — the 
storm  of  desolation  prostrates  every  thing  there.  The 
heavens  might  be  black-»-they  might  fall,  yet  not  atone  for 
that  sin. 

2.T 


4:18  ^-1^  ;    SPIRITUALISM. 

Yet  why,  to-niglit,  do  the  spirits  speak  of  truth  ?  "Why 
has  the  lesson  been  inculcated  with  such  force  ?  It  is  that 
you  may  be  true  and  perfect ;  for  I  tell  you  that  unless  you 
become  living  evidences  that  the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad 
in  your  hearts,  prompting  them  to  truth,  it  will  be  more 
terrible  for  you  than  to  call  on  the  rocks  and  mountains  to 
fall  on  you.  For  if  you  lie,  it  is  not  our  fault,  but  your  di- 
rect punishment.  If  you  are  hypocritical,  it  is  not  the 
spirits  who  have  taught  you  to  be  so. 

If  you  live  not  up  to  the  faith  you  profess,  do  you  not 
lie  to  them  and  to  God  ? 

Spiritualism  is  a  religion,  and  it  enjoins  on  its  followers 
a  greater  regard  for  action,  for  in  that  is  the  whole  incen- 
tive to  progression.  The  pains  and  penalties  denounced 
against  the  world  the  world  fashions  for  itself. 

Your  light  should  indeed  come  from  yourselves.  You 
should  not,  like  the  moon,  borrow  it,  but  it  should  be  of  it- 
self and  for  itself,  because  of  God.  It  should  beam  forth 
and  illumine  your  path.  It  should  be  a  light  to  your  feet, 
lighting  you  up  to  Heaven. 


SPIEITtTALISM.    '-^'ti  419 


Sution  Jfiftg-tlru, 


Monday,  April  24,  1854 

The  circle  met  this  evening  at  Mr.  Sweet's.  All  were  present  except 
Mrs.  Dexter,  and  there  were  present  the  two  Mr.  M'Donalds  from  Glen's 
Falls,  N.  Y. 

After  some  general  instructions  for  the  proceedings  of  the  evening 
through  Dr.  Dexter,  Laura  and  Mrs.  S.  were  influenced  to  continue  their 
description  of  the  buried  city,  as  follows : 

Laura. — ^They  wish  us  to  go  to  that  buried  city  again. 
Come,  let  us  go.  It  is  so  dark  there  and  cold,  darker  than 
ever  before.    They  lead  us  to  the  right. 

Mrs.  S. — Laura,  you  will  have  to  lead  me.  I  can't  see. 
Just  look  and  see  if  these  spirits  are  with  us. 

L. — Oh,  yes,  there  they  are ;  they  say  it  is  rendered  darker 
by  the  influence  surrounding  the  place  being  of  that  nature. 
How  cold  it  is  !     Let  us  hasten  on. 

Mrs.  S. — Spirits,  won't  you  go  before,  and  show  us  the 
way  ?    Laura,  are  you  not  afraid  ? 

L. — "No,  not  afraid — they  will  lead  us  on ;  but  this  cold, 
damp  air  chills  me.  Let's  hasten  on.  I  will  lead  you — 
the  spirit  says  he  will  not  let  us  injure  ourselves. 

Mrs.  S. — He  puts  his  hand  on  my  shoulder.  I  feel 
stronger  now. 

L. — This  scene  strikes  terror  to  my  heart,  it  is  so  dismal. 
This  must  be  one  of  their  secret  dungeons.  Do  you  see 
that  faint  light  far  ahead  ? 

Mrs.  S. — Yes,  but  it  is  very  distant.  Take  care.  You 
will  fall.  What  is  that  in  our  way  ?  This  is  some  horrible 
thing ! 

L. — Let  us  seek  it.  What  is  that  in  our  way?  It  is  so 
cold  here. 


4^  SPIEITUALISM. 

Mrs.  S. — Let  us  go  around,  and  not  near  it. 

L. — Let  us  see  what  it  is.  Shed  a  light  upon  it.  "What 
is  it  ?     It  is  square.     Oh,  I  see. 

Mrs.  S. — I  can't  see,  it  is  so  dark  ! 

L. — It  is  a  square  trap-door  of  stone,  very  hard.  Do 
you  see  ?  The  spirits  told  ,me  to  touch  the  spring.  Oh  ! 
horrible ! 

Mes.  S. — Oh,  it  is  terrible  here  ! 

L. — There  are  bones  piled  up  here.  This  is  some  place 
of  punishment. 

Mrs.  S. — There  are  bones  of  animals  here  of  all  sorts. 

L. — See  !  bones  of  children,  men,  and  women !  Why 
are  they  here  ?  Ask  that  spirit,  perhaps  he  will  tell  us. 
It  must  have  been  a  living  tomb  ! 

Mrs.  S. — The  spirit  says  it  was  to  put  people  in  alive, 
and  let  them  perish,  as  a  punishment,  when  they  had  com- 
mitted any  great  crime  against  the  gods.  They  put  a  num- 
ber in  together,  and  also  wild  animals  to  devour  the  victims. 
Oh  !  let  him  shut  the  door,  I  don't  want  to  see  more. 

L. — He  will  allow  us  to  pass  on  now.  See !  what  is 
that?  , 

Mrs.  S. — It  looks  like  green  grass  beiieath  our  feet — it 
is  naoss.  '  '    ^.f    ^^ 

L. — It  is  much  pleasanter  here,  and  the  moss  is  so' soft, 
so  velvet-like.  And  now  we  can  go  on,  for  we  have  had 
enough  of  those  dismal  sights ;  but  it  was  necessary  that 
we  should  see  them  all.     What  is  that  at  the  left  ? 

Mrs.  S. — I  was  going  to  ask  you  if  it  was  not  a  spirit 
about  to  guide  us  ? 

L. — ^It  is  the  figure  of  a  woman  standing  with  her  arms 
folded. 

Mrs.  S. — ^The  spirit  says  she  is  a  spirit  come  to  guide  us 
on  further,  to  show  us  what  to  do.  She  wants  us  to  speak 
to  her. 

L. — Now  I  understand  why  we  are  brought  to  these 
darkset  haunts,  to  reassure  the  unhappy  spirits  loitering 
here. 


SPIBITUALIBM. 


421 


Mrs.  S. — I  did  not  think  there  were  people  here. 

L. — I  see  that  black  building  we  are  leaving. 

Mrs.  S. — Oh,  don't  look  back,  we  have  reached  the  en- 
trance !  See !  it  is  bright,  and  observe  those  massive 
images — they  must  be  idols — they  can  not  be  human  be- 
ings. 

L. — Do  you  see  one  figure,  very  black  in  appearance ;  it 
resembles  a  centaur,  but  is  coarser,  more  disagreeable. 

Mrs.  S. — It  has  no  clothes  on.     I  do  not  like  it. 

L. — It  sends  a  chill  over  me  to  look  at  those  figures. 
What  degraded  tastes  !  What  could  this  place  have 
been  ? 

Mrs.  S.— The  spirit  says  it  was  near  the  palace ;  they 
did  not  term  the  building  palace,  but  a  name  we  can  not 
understand.  He  beckons  us  on.  Shall  go  in  ?  We  must 
go  up  those  steps. 

L. — Oh,  what  figures  are  here  !  faces  fierce,  firm,  gross, 
and  sensual,  and  the  expression  of  countenance  denotes 
every  passion  in  which  man  is  capable,  of  indulging. 

Mrs.  S.^ — Don't  look  at  them  ;  they  are  very  vulgar,  I 
think.  Look !  that  female  spirit  has  passed  on  before  us. 
This  place  looks  like  home.  See  those  images  around  the 
room — casts  of  human  beings  placed  in  niches ! 

E. — The  walls  of  this  room  are  sparkling  with  jewels  laid 
in  figures  ;  and  observe  that  image  with  two  faces,  one  each 
side,  male  and  female  in  one.  What  could  have  been  their 
ideas  of  nature  ? 

Mrs.  S. — ^There  is  one  worse  than  that ;  it  has  the  form 
of  a  female,  with  a  horse's  head. 

L. — See  the  next  one  to  it !  a  man  with  two  horns ;  the 
one  on  the  right  side  is  two  feet  high,  and  on  the  left  one 
foot. 

Mrs.  S. — Can  you  read  that  strange  writing  on  the  wall  ? 
It  is  the  queerest  writing  I  ever  saw. 

L. — I  have  seen  those  characters  before.  The  spirit  says 
he  will  tell  us  what  this  room  was  called. 

Mrs.  S. — ^Each  dignitary  had  a  peculiar  divinity  of  their 


422  SPIBITUALISM. 

own  to  worship,  and  the  name  of  each  is  written  above  the 
image. 

L.— That  accounts  for  there  being  so  many  dotted  round 
the  walls.  I  see  paintings.  What  beautiful  works  of  art ! 
The  walls  are  of  fresco  ;  the  ceiling  shaped  like  a  dome. 

Mrs.  S. — ^The  paintings  are  beautiful,  but  coarse-looking. 
And  Laura,  see  those  birds !  they  look  as  though  taken  on 
the  wing,  they  are  so  natural. 

L. — ^They  are  the  best  we  have  seen  yet — such  rich  col- 
ors. And  do  you  observe  the  windows  in  the  dome  ? 
They  are  formed  of  different  colored  stones  and  crystals, 
and  the  light  shines  through  most  beautifully,  all  the  col- 
ors blending.  I  like  this  room.  That  female  will  take  us 
to  a  still  stranger  place.  The  door  shuts  with  a  spring, 
and  has  a  sharp  blade  of  stone  attached  to  it.  Every  door 
has  that  blade  to  prevent  intruders.  Those  who  under- 
stood its  management  were  not  injured,  but  those  who 
didn't,  woe  betide  them  !  'Twas  lucky  we  had  aid  to  open 
them. 

Mes.  S. — ^The  spirit  says  these  things  have  not  been  pen- 
etrated into  to  the  present  generation.  She  lived  in  this 
city  herself.  Laura,  we  must  follow  that  spirit ;  she's 
dressed  in  white.  I  like  her  looks.  We  are  now  in  the 
room  above  the  one  we  left.  Look  in  the  middle  of  the 
room  !     "What  is  it  ?     A  throne  ?     It's  a  singular  thing. 

L. — See !  it  is  a  square  piece  of  stone,  carved  with  un- 
gainly figures.     What  could  it  have  been? 

Mes.  S. — Do  you  see  that  railing  around  the  throne  ?  It 
is  composed  of  the  whitest,  purest  stone  I  ever  saw.  I 
wonder  what  it  can  be  ? 

L. — ^It  looks  more  like  crystal.  What  is  the  name  of  it  ? 
Can't  the  spirit  tell  us  ? 

Mrs.  S.— He  says  it's  a  stone  peculiar  .to  the  country. 
It  was  found  buried  in  the  depths  of  the  earth,  and  taken 
from  thence,  and  for  ornamenting  and  beautifying  our 
cities'  noblest  buildings.  They  also  used  to  form  their 
idols  of  it.    This  is  the  room  where  the  females  worshiped 


SPIBITTJAHSM,  4:23 

— where  they  had  all  sorts  of  revolting  ceremonies,  and 
even  sacrificed  their  slaves,  while  performing  their  horrid 
rites. 

L. — Do  you  see  that  repulsive  scene  enacting  ?  I  never 
could  imagine  half  that  is  presented  here.  There  they  are 
cutting  a  female  slave  into  quarters,  and  figures  are  danc- 
ing round  and  bathing  their  heads  in  the  blood  of  the  vic- 
tims. Innocent  little  children  were  bound  to  sticks  of  wood 
the  same  size  as  themselves,  and  thrown  into  the  fire. 

Mks.  S. — See !  they  had  something  that  they  drank  during 
these  ceremonies  which  made  them  almost  frantic. 

L. — The  drink  was  composed  of  the  juice  of  a  coarse  plant, 
the  same  that  we  have  before  described  ;  the  stem  yielded  a 
rich  sap,  which  was  boiled  with  spices,  and  they  drank  it  thus. 

Mrs.  S.— And  that  was  given  them  to  drink  by  the  priests. 
Slaves  were  not  permitted  to  enter  here  unless  to  be  sacri- 
ficed. See  their  horrible  actions ;  they  had  forgotten 
their  delicacy. 

L. — They  acted  as  though  possessed;  they  had  slain  a 
child,  and  were  playing  foot-ball  with  its  body. 

Mrs.  S. — I  can't  see  it ;  don't  ask  me  to.  I  want  to  leave 
this  place. 

L. — No  ;  we  must  remain  and  see  all.  These  were  their 
greatest  ceremonies  and  sacrifices  to  the  gods.  They  were 
excited  to  it  by  this  drink.  There  is  one  cutting  off  the 
head  of  an  old  man,  and  children  are  playing  with  it. 

Mrs.  S. — They  allowed  the  young  maidens  to  come  in 
and  join  in  all  these  things  !  ITo  wonder  they  had  lost  all 
traces  of  female,  delicacy  and  refinement.  Oh,  horrid  is 
the  sight !     Let  us  leave  this  place. 

L. — ^Yes,  but  go  first  to  the  other  end  of  the  temple. 
See !  in  that  corner  is  an  imao^e  of  a  human  beino:  with  four 
legs,  head  pointed,  eyes  staring  without  lids  ! 

Mrs.  S. — I  can't  see  it,  it  is  so  dark  here.  I  don't  see 
how  you  can  laugh  at  it ;  it  makes  me  shudder.  Did  you 
notice  the  fireplace  ? 

L. — Built  for  sacrificing  human  beings !     There  is  noth- 


4:24:  SPIRITUALISM. 

ing  left  of  human  feeling  here.     They  delighted  in  taking 
life  in  every  form,  even  the  females. 

Mrs.  S. — ^There  is  something  else  to  be  seen  before  we  go. 

L. — See  that  spirit !  so  beautiful  and  bright ! 

Mrs.  S. — 'Tis  the  same  that  brought  us  here  ;  she  is  very 
beautiful. 

L. — She  says,  visiting  these  scenes  she  once  frequented, 
and  which  she  dreaded  to  recall,  has  enabled  her  to  pro- 
gress, and  her  translation  to  a  bright  sphere  takes  place  on 
this  very  spot. 

Mrs.  S. — Oh,  she  is  a  pure-looking  spirit ;  I  wish  she 
would  not  leave  us. 

L. — See,  she  goes  upward,  and  as  she  goes  throws  flow- 
ers in  our  path.     She  says,  ''  I  go  to  my  happy  home,  for' 
my  mission  is  done,  and  Heaven  is  won."     If  we  are  thus 
rewarded  at  the  end  of  our  mission,  does  it  not  encour- 
age us  ? 

Mrs.  S. — Something  to  work  for,  something  to  look  for- 
ward to.  This  is  worth  working  for.  They  say  we  must  re- 
turn to  this  place  again;  for  there  are  some  things  to  be 
shown  us  which  will  not  be  known  for  generations  to  the 
world,  if  not  disclosed  now,  and  we  have  aided  them  much. 

L. — "We  will  help  them ;  assure  them  we  are  willing. 
The  one  behind  you  has  placed  a  star  on  your  forehead, 
and  says  it  shall  remain  there,  and  he  will  know  you  by  it 
in  another  land.  He  will  be  first  to  greet  you  when  you 
come  home. 

Mrs.  S. — Your  guiding  spirit  says  he  will  conduct  you 
to  many  places.  He  says  he  loves  to  condVict  you,  you  are 
so  willing.     I  hope  he  will  bring  us  to  the  air  again. 

L.— If  I  can,  I  will  be  of  service.  I  am  ready.  Here 
we  are  in  the  air  again. 

Then  through  myself  was  presented  the  following 

VISION. 
They  have  taken  me  to  the  darker  spheres.    There  I  see 
countless  numbers  of  spirits,  of  various  hues  of  blackness, 


SPIRITUALISM.  425 

amid  that  dark  and  murky  atmosphere,  so  dark  and  thick 
that  it  would  seem  almost  palpable  to  my  senses. 

There,  amid  that  cold  and  waterj^  and  cheerless  air,  amid 
that  repulsive  gloom,  I  see  those  countless  myriads,  boiling 
up,  as  it  were,  under  the  influence  of  the  darkest  passions 
and  vilest  propensities  of  the  human  heart,  like  a  seething 
caldron  filled  with  human  misery  and  set  into  never-ending 
motion  by  the  lurid  and  enduring  flame  of  human  passions. 

Spread  out  before  me  is  a  vast  country,  its  surface  level, 
its  soil  bleak  and  desolate,  with  naught  to  relieve  its  dreary 
monotony,  naught  to  indicate  life  in  itself,  but  a  few  sickly 
and  disgusting  plants,  that  seem  to  have  sprung  up  and 
grown  in  darkness. 

There  is  a  restlessness  about  those  inhabitants  that  is 
terrible  to  behold,  for  it  speaks  of  the  worm  that  never 
dies,  it  tells  in  language  not  to  be  mistaken,  that  its  gnaw- 
ings  are  incessant,  that  its  torments  never  cease.  That 
worm  is  memory,  and  with  all  who  people  that  immense 
desert,  it  is  ever  busy  in  discharging  its  duty  as  a  minister 
of  the  Most  High  God,  ever  active  in  the  performance  of 
its  terrible  task  of  retribution.  Like  a  hissing  serpent,  it 
is  ever  following  the  heels  of  those  whose  past  was  evil. 
Like  a  consuming  fire,  it  is  ever  at  work  at  its  task  of  burn- 
ing and  purifying  the  heart.  Like  the  dread  of  impending 
evil,  it  is  ever  throwing  upon  the  corrupted  heart  the  numb- 
.ing  chill  of  its  fear.  Like  the  air  they  breathe,  it  is  ever 
infusing  into  them  its  deadly  venom.  Like  the  life-giving 
principle  which  surrounds  them,  it  is  ever  imparting  new 
life  and  activity  to  its  office  of  punishment  for  sin. 

It  needs  the  aid  of  no  material  flame  to  infuse  suffering 
into  the  heart.  It  needs  no  chains  of  earthly  iron  to  bind 
the  fallen  soul  to  the  dark  soil  in  which  it  grovels.  It 
needs  no  galling  fetters  to  have  its  iron  enter  that  soul ; 
but,  alone,  unconquerable,  unceasing,  ever  active,  from  its 
blasting  embrace  there  is  no  escape,  from  its  devastating 
breath  there  is  no  refuge.  It  thrills  the  ear  with  an  acute 
pang  that  pauses  but  to  increase  its  might  with  renewed 


426  SPIRITUALISM. 

e£fort.  It  flows  in  upon  the  eye  but  to  light  it  up  with  a  lurid 
flame,  glowing  like  a  burning  coal,  and  relieved  only  by 
its  center-spot  of  intense  blackness,  which  proclaims  the  hue 
of  the  soul  that  looks  out  through  it  upon  the  world  around. 
It  invades  the  taste,  and  while  its  sweetness  tempts  to  in- 
dulgence, the  bitter  and  burning  feeling  that  follows  but 
speaks  of  the  inner  condition  still.  To  the  nostrils  it  is 
pleasant  and  captivating,  but  it  ever  leaves  behind  a  pu- 
trid and  offensive  scent  that  speaks  of  the  corruption  that 
is  festering  within.  Felt  throughout  the  surface  as  a  cool 
and  inviting  breeze,  it  instills  into  every  vein,  infuses  into 
every  bone,  pours  upon  the  extremity  of  every  nerve  tor- 
ments that  rival  the  agony  that  is  buried  deep  beneath  that 
surface. 

Thus  the  faculties  which  have  been  perverted  to  pur- 
poses of  selfish  indulgence  become  ministering  spirits  to 
the  demon  of  memory  that  ever  haunts  them,  and  bear  to 
the  suffering  heart,  to  the  deepest  recesses  of  the  polluted 
and  fallen  soul  enduring  streams  of  agony  so  intense,  so 
overpowering,  so  omnipotent,  that  it  tells  the  soul  upon 
which  it  is  ezerted,  the  awful  lesson,  that  nothing  short  of 
Almighty  power  could  inflict  it. 

Oh !  could  mortals  see  in  the  flesh,  and  ere  it  be  too  late, 
how  sad  is  the  ruin  the  soul  can  bring  on  itself,  how  ter- 
rible is  the  agony  which  the  memory  can  inflict,  how  in- 
cessant and  how  insatiate  are  the  senses,  in  bearing  within 
the  soul  the  punishment  that  must  ever  flow  from  their 
perversion,  they  would  recoil  affrighted  from  the  contem- 
plation of  a  condition  so  infinitely  more  horrible  than 
aught  the  wildest  flight  of  the  imagination  ever  pictured  ! 

It  is  now  shown  to  me  in  this  vast  concourse  before  me 
— in  the  mass  and  in  each  individual.  It  is  seen  in  a  rest- 
lessness, a  discontent  with  the  present  and  its  employ- 
ments, a  desire  to  escape  to  something  else,  an  uneasy 
and  impatient  seeking  for  some  relief,  which  mark  the  con- 
duct of  all  who  are  before  me.  They  are  ever  seeking  for 
something,  which,  alas !  they  found  too  often  on  earth — 


SPIBITITALISM.  427 

something  that  will  enable  them  to  forget.  But  oh  !  how 
vain  now  the  search  !  The  material  surroundings  which, 
in  their  earthly  life,  through  the  intoxicating  cup  of  pleas- 
ure in  its  various  forms,  aided  them  to  drown  the  voice  of 
the  monitor  within,  have  now  all  left  them,  and  it  is  in 
vain  they  fly  for  refuge — for  they  find  none.  The  intoxi- 
cating draught  can  no  longer  stupefy  the  senses,  the  mad- 
dening love  of  pleasure  can  no  longer  by  its  indulgence 
conquer  the  reason,  and  even  death,  to  which  so  many  of 
them  looked  for  relief,  afforded  them  none  when  it  came, 
and  answers  not  now  to  their  call.  'No  night  with  its 
slumbers  comes  now  to  aid  them.  ISTo  insanity,  even,  can 
be  invoked  as  a  refuge  from  thought.  ISTo  excess  of  pas- 
sion, though  here  it  rage  with  tenfold  fury,  can  bring  them 
the  coveted  blessing  of  gratification.  And  thus  they  exist, 
day  by  day,  age  upon  age,  century  after  century,  living 
monuments,  speaking  lessons,  of  the  curse  of  perverted 
faculties. 

And  what  adds  infinite  horror  to  an  existence  so  terrible, 
is  the  conviction,  instilled  into  their  minds,  by  their  earthly 
■teachings,  that  it  is  for  eternity. 

Toward  man,  in  or  out  of  the  form,  their  hearts  burn 
with  a  bitter  and  concentrated  hatred,  which  finds  no  re- 
lief but  in  infiicting  suffering  upon  each  other.  Toward 
the  fair  face  of  nature,  whose  beauties  they  slighted,  whose 
lessons  they  disregarded,  their  feelings  are  those  of  abhor- 
rence ;  for  every  feature  of  it,  from  the  rolling  orb  that 
speeds  its  way  through  space,  to  the  blade  of  grass  that 
protrudes  its  tiny  head  from  the  crevices  of  the  rock,  is 
ever  proclaiming  in  their  ears  the  lesson  that  nature  ever 
speaks  to  nature's  God.  Toward  the  Great  Creator  they 
look  with  mingled  feelings  of  defiance  and  of  fear — defi- 
ance which  has  followed  them  from  their  mortal  existence, 
and  which  here,  as  there,  is  displayed  in  disobedience  of 
his  laws,  and  fear,  lest  the  power  which  is  full  mighty  to 
inflict  upon  them  what  they  suffer,  may  yet  visit  them  with 
even  greater  misery. 


4:28  SPIRITUALISM. 

Sncli  is  the  scene  spread  out  before  me.  If  I  ask  those 
who  are  thus  suffering,  if  there  is  no  refuge  ?  no  hope  ? 
every  heart  answers  None.  I  raise  my  eyes  and  ask  from 
above,  Is  there  no  hope  ?  Far  distant  I  see  a  faint  light. 
Reposing  in  its  beams  I  see  many  pure  and  bright  spirits, 
who  seem  hovering  o'er  this  dark  abyss,  from  which  they 
are  repelled  by  its  gloomy  atmosphere.  From  them  comes 
my  answer,  "Yes,  even  for  these  there  is  hope — even  for 
these  the  Infinite  Father  has  provided  a  redemption — even 
for  these  he  has  vouchsafed  a  Saviour;  for  even  in  the 
darkest  and  vilest  heart  there,  perverted,  misshapen,  and 
degraded  as  it  may  be.  His  spirit  still  slumbers,  and  it  will 
yet  answer  to  His  voice  as  it  speaks  from  above.  In  each 
soul  is  the  power  of  its  own  redemption,  and  the  hour  of 
its  redemption  will  be  when  it  shall  have  learned  the  les- 
son so  important  to  man  in  every  stage  of  existence — so 
much  easier  to  be  learned  and  to  be  acted  upon  in  his 
primary  existence — that  he  must  work  out  his  own  salva- 
tion." 

And  now  there  appears  to  me  from  that  distant  light  a 
bright  and  pure  spirit,  whose  countenance  bears  the  im- 
press of  deep  grief,  and  yet  of  unbounded  love,  and  he 
says  to  me  :  * 

"Mortal !  proclaim  this  truth  to  thy  fellow-man.  To  many 
of  us  the  learning  of  it  has  been  a  long  and  bitter  trial.  See 
that  it  be  not  so  to  you  by  neglecting  the  instruction  when 
it  can  be  most  available  to  you  ;  and  fear  not  to  proclaim 
it  by  any  dread  of  the  manner  in  which  mail  may  receive 
it,  for  when  thou  shalt  have  passed  to  this  sphere  of  exist- 
ence, thou  wilt  meet  with  many  a  human  soul  whose  grati- 
tude or  whose  reproach  will  attend  thy  footsteps  in  thy  pas- 
sage through  eternity,  as  thou  dost  faithfully  perform  or 
basely  betray  the  duty  imposed  upon  thee." 


SPIRITUALISM 


429 


Monday^  May  8,  1854. 
The  circle  met,  and  through  Miss  Laura  Edmonds  as  medium,  the  fol- 
lowing was  given : 

I  AM  going  over  a  long  bridge.  The  abutments  are  tot- 
tering and  decayed,  and  I  fear  to  cross  it.  As  I  ascend  it, 
it  trembles ;  yet  I  must  go  over  it.  A  spirit  near  me 
whispers  that  I  shall  fall.  I  can  not  see  his  face,  and  can 
not  tell  if  I  should  trust  him.  I  must  however  try,  for  I 
have  been  sent  for  that  purpose,  and  I  must  go  alone. 

That  spirit  discourages  me.  But  there  is  another  at  some 
distance  before  me  that  I  can  see,  who  beckons  to  me  to 
come.  I  will  go  over  the  bridge,  though  it  looks  very 
dangerous.  The  scenery  beyond  is  beautiful  and  grand.  I 
should  have  been  satisfied  to  have  viewed  it  from  this  dis- 
tance, and  would  have  returned,  but  the  spirit  before  me 
says  "  Come." 

As  I  descend  from  the  bridge  it  is  steep  and  difficult, 
but  it  is  passed.  I  look  back,  and  that  which  at  the  time 
of  crossing  it  appeared  to  be  a  steep  and  slippery  bridge, 
made  of  frail  materials,  of  rotten  and  broker;  timbers,  tot- 
tering, ready  to  fall,  and  with  an  abyss  on  each  side  of  it, 
is  no  longer  the  miserable  structure  I  supposed.  It  is  a 
work  worthy  of  the  greatest  architect.  The  foundations 
are  broad  and  strong,  its  proportions  are  graceful  and  true, 
and  it  is  built  of  the  purest  white  material  that  ever  met 
my  eyes.  What  is  strange !  it  is  divided  in  the  center  by 
a  thin  transparent  partition.  On  t^ie  right  I  see  bright 
forms  crossing  it ;  on  the  left  I  see  mortals  crowding  for- 
ward. 


430  SPIRITUALISM. 

The  bridge  is  new,  and  its  beauty  and  strength  have  at- 
tracted crowds  from  the  adjoining  land,  and  its  singular 
structure  has  excited  the  wonder  of  many  spirits,  and  they 
are  flocking  to  see  how  well  it  is  used. 

The  old  and  decayed  appearance  of  the  bridge  was  an 
illusion.  It  seems  to  all  who  cross  it  that  it  is  tottering, 
and  that  they  shall  fall,  and  they  have  so  little  faith  jn  the 
guides  who  lead,  that  it  seems  to  them  to  be  very  danger- 
ous, while  it  is  really  perfectl}^  safe. 

There  is  an  old  man  stands  on  the  entrance  of  the  bridge 
who  offers  to  every  mortal  who  wishes  to  cross,  a  staff.  I 
notice  that  those  who  accept  it,  and  hold  it  firm,  cross  in 
safety,  and  without  fear. 

I  asked  him  the  meaning  of  this?  and  he  says,  smiling, 
"  Child  of  earth !  the  staff  I  give  is  perfect  faith.  Those 
who  use  the  staff  go  safely,  and  without  fear ;  those  who 
use  it  not,  slip  and  stumble  in  walking,  or  stand  gazing  at 
the- evidences  of  decay,  and  tremble  for  their  safety. 

"  Take  in  your  hand  the  staff  of  faith,  and  it  supports  you 
in  the  passage  across  the  bridge." 


SPIBITUALI8M.  431 


tdun  Jfiftg-fifre. 


Monday  J  May  15,  1854. 
The  circle  met  at  my  library.     Through  the  Doctor  the  spirit  of  a 
female,  who  died  many  years  ago,  began  her  autobiography  as  follows : 

To  the  old,  the  recollections  of  childhood  are  the  hap- 
piest remains  of  life.  Mine  was  a  happy  childhood,  with 
loving  parents,  kind  and  affectionate  brothers  and  sisters. 
I  passed  the  early  days  of  my  life  in  almost  uninterrupted 
happiness.  Ours  was  a  noble  house,  and  I  was  the  eldest 
daughter.  I  lived  in  the  closest  intercourse  with  my 
mother,  and  I  revered  my  father,  for  I  loved  him  as  he  de- 
served to  be  loved. 

You  all  know  how  stern  were  the  laws  that  gave  con- 
trol of  the  child  to  the  parent  in  those  days ;  but  rdy  mind, 
indulged  in  close  and  affectionate  intercourse  with  my 
parents,  was  permitted  free  range,  untrammeled  by  any 
fetters  of  domestic  tyranny.  Oh  !  how  I  loved  my  father's 
gentle  voice !  How  I  loved  my  mother's  gentle  tones ! 
and  the  years  I  passed  on  earth  were  an  assurance  how 
affectionately  I  regarded  my  brothers  and  sisters.  God ! 
that  the  agony  of  earth  should  still  cling  to  this  heart, 
shriveled  as  it  has  been  by  so  many  years  of  separation 
from  earth  !  I  lost  my  father  and  mother  just  as  my  mind 
had  begun  to  assume  its  own  individuality.  With  him  our 
house  tottered;  but  when  my  mother  died,  it  fell  pros- 
trate. Canst  thou  not,  oh  my  Father  !  canst  thou  not  yet 
permit  the  agony  to  pass  from  me  ? 

I  left  my  father's  house ;  my  brotherst  and  sisters  were 
separated,  some  with  one  relative,  some  with  another.  I 
went  to  my  father's  brother.    Kindly  he  received  me,  gen- 


432  SPIRITUALISM. 

tlj  and  lovingly  he  treated  me,  brouglit  me  up  as  his 
daughter,  and  gave  me  all  the  education  the  circumstances 
and  times  permitted.  His  was  an  enlarged  mind  that  was 
in  advance  of  his  time.  He  saw  far  into  the  future,  and 
calculated  the  advantages  I  should  derive  from  possessing 
a  mind  educated,  cultivated,  and  refined.  I  went  into  the 
world,  flattered,  petted,  sought  after.  I  found  no  heart  to 
whose  care  I  was  willing  to  trust  my  own.  But  at  length, 
being  on  a  visit  to  a  friend,  I  there  met  him  who  was  after- 
ward my  husband,  and  on  him  I  lavished  all  the  deep, 
gushing  affection  of  a  heart  that  I  thought  knew  how  to 
love.  His  indeed  was  a  nature  on  which  God  had  stamped 
the  image  of  some  of  his  own  attributes.  Proud,  yet  not 
haughty — noble  and  generous,  yet  impetuous  and  impas- 
sioned— with  a  mind  clear,  distinct,  and  comprehensive, 
quick,  frank,  confiding,  tender  as  the  summer  morning's 
breeze,  yet  so  excitable,  that  his  nature  would  become 
clouded  as  the  summer  sky  with  the  thunder  storm,  and  yet 
pass  away  like  that  summer  cloud — every  attribute  was 
beautified  by  the  contrast. 

He  iQved  me.  Even  now  the  wail  of  that  spirit  which  I 
sacrificed  comes  up  before  me,  and  I,  silent,  self-convicted, 
hear  it,  and  find  no  escape  from  the  agony  it  inflicts. 

I  married  this  man.  I  knew  his  nature,  but  he  did  not 
know  mine.  I  thought  I  loved,  and  was  willing  to  sacri- 
fice my  own  happiness  for  the  happiness  of  others,  to  sacri- 
fice my  feelings  and  desires  for  his  gratification. 

I  thought  my  will  should  be  exerted  in  contributing  to 
his  advancement  and  welfare ;  but  oh!  when  his  nature 
was  galled  and  excited  and  irritated  by  collision  with  the 
world,  instead  of  throwing  oil  on  the  waters,  I  added  to  the 
tumult  of  passion.  Oh !  how  I  could  have  guided  him ; 
and  that  love  which  I  sacrificed  might  have  been  a  guiding 
star  to  my  progress  through  eternity  !  Oh  !  the  storms  I 
might  have  quieted !  the  passions  I  might  have  soothed ! 
His  mind,  stretched  to  its  utmost  te;nsion  'mid  all  his  dis- 
appointments and  trials,  turned  to  my  love  as  the  needle 


,X^  SPIRITUALISM.  433 

to  the  north.  My  smile  in  his  affliction  I  knew  was  like  a 
raj  of  sunshine  to  his  heart  for  days. 

Even  when  our  child  was  grown  up,  and  I  in  the  middle 
of  life,  I  suffered  my  heart  to  be  turned  from  child,  from 
husband,  from  God.  I  did  not  sin,  but  I  suffered  the  opin- 
ions and  prejudices  of  another  to  worm  themselves  into  my 
mind,  to  change  my  affection,  and  take  it  away  from  him 
whose  life  was  in  my  smile. 

Father !  thou  hast  vouchsafed  to  me,  this  night,  tears ! 
This  spirit  whose  heart  is  marble,  has  found  percolating 
through  its  texture  drops  of  water  from  its  flinty  heart — a 
heart  of  stone  dropping  water !  And  how,  think  you,  that 
noble  man  received  the  words  with  which  I  pierced  the 
gentlest,  softest,  noblest  heart  God  ever  gave  to  woman? 
Conscious  of  his  own  imperfections  —  conscious  of  his 
variableness  and  excitability,  he  said  to  me,  "You  have 
crushed  me ;  but  the  love  I  bear  you  bids  me  hope,  for 
if  wrong  has  been  done,  God  himself  who  bids  us  live, 
that  we  may  repent,  will  justify  my  efforts  and  give  me 
comfort  in  your  love  at  last.  Wait,  and  this  nature  shall 
be  changed.  I'll  fashion  my  heart  to  suit  your  affec- 
tion." 

Pale  and  trembling,  bowed  down  as  he  was,  the  hopes 
of  half  a  life  blasted  in  one  instant,  I  turned  away  and 
told  him,  "ITever!" 

And  tliis  man  who  had  instilled  his  insidious  poison  into 
my  heart  was  scarce  half  mine  own  age ! 

I  can't  go  on ;  some  other  time  I  will  tell  the  rest. 

Through  Laura  the  following  communication  from  the  comedian  Lis- 
ten was  given : 

Sir,  my  life  was  an  eventful  one.  It  was  a  mixture  of  all 
the  scenes  that  pass  before  the  human  eye.  I  was  born  in 
humble  circumstances.  My  mother  was  a  mother  to  me 
indeed.  My  father  was  a  stern,  cold  man,  caring  little  for 
his  children,  striking  awe  to  their  tender  hearts  when  they 
approached  him,  and  yet  there  was  affection  in  his  heart 

28 


434:  SPIRITUALISM.         "  ^  ^ 

for  them,  but  they  knew  it  not.     I  did  not  love  him  much. 
I  could  not. 

My  childhood  was  spent  like  other  children's.  I  was  al- 
lowed my  own  free  will  most  of  the  time.  And  they 
called  me  ''Funny  Tom" — that  was  my  nickname. 

My  father  would  often  say,  "Prayers,  now,"  and  that 
was  like  a  death-knell  to  us :  we  would  fall  down  on  our 
tender  knees,  and  our  cuies  would  be  elevated  with  his, 
but  our  wishes  would  be  leveled  at  his  unfortunate  head. 

Thus  was  spent  our  childhood — not  always  on  our  knee- 
joints  though.  I  grew  up,  not  caring  for  the  future,  hating 
the  sound  of  prayers — and  well  I  might — for  I  always  saw 
fun  in  every  thing ;  when  my  father  would  flog  me,  I  de- 
rived infinite  fun  out  of  that  even,  for  I  pictured  to  myself 
what  a  beautiful  sight  it  must  be  to  see  a  fat  man  sweating 
over  a  dancing  young  one ! 

I  grew  up  hating  what  ought  to  have  been  loved,  yet 
with  a  heart  throbbing  with  tender  affection,  longing  for 
some  fond  heart  to  rest  upon,  and  as  I  passed  on  through 
the  world,  I  still  felt  that  longing  desire  for  something, 
deeply  and  tenderly  to  love. 

I  saw  in  nature  many  beauties  that  satisfied  for  a  time 
that  longing.  I  went  forth  into  society.  I  was  courted, 
fondled,  laughed  at  for  my  keen  wit  and  satire.  I  found 
friends  everywhere,  and  I  rushed  on  through  life  excited, 
and  enjoying  the  applause  of  man  ;  but  when  I  returned 
to  my  home  in  the  still  hours  of  the  night,  then  I  felt  that 
wit  was  not  my  happiness.  I  would  go  forth  again  the 
next  day  with  my  heart  bleeding — like  a  wanderer  in 
the  desert,  seeking  for  some  cooling  spring  whereby  to 
quench  my  thirst ;  and  I  would  quell  those  feelings,  cover 
them  up  with  a  light,  laughing  manner,  and  the  smile 
would  wreathe  my  lip,  and  joy  pervade  everywhere, 
while  my  heart  was  weeping  the  keenest  tears  of  sorrow 
silently  within. 

I  would  hear  my  friends  say,  "  "What  a  happy  fellow ; 
the  world  goes  well  with  him !"     The  mockery  of  these 


SPIRITUALISM.     ■  435 


words  was  agony  to  my  soul.  I  would  rush  forth  into 
dissipation,  try  to  drown  my  cares,  and  appear  to  my  near- 
est friends  the  same  as  ever.  I  would  go  forth  on  to  the 
stage,  and  I  enjoyed  it.  I  entered  into  the  very  keenest 
of  the  satire.  I  was  happy  while  I  was  giving  vent  to  my 
mother  wit.  It  afforded  me  excitement  and  pleasure — 
more  at  times  than  at  others,  for  I  could  -not  always  he 
seeming ;  it  was  not  my  nature.  I  had  troubles  in  my  own 
home  that  well-nigh  weighed  me  down,  and  I  would  leave 
my  domicil  with  an  aching  heart  and  go  on  to  the  stage ; 
the  curtain  would  rise,  the  house  soon  resound  with  laugh- 
ter, and  my  buoyant  spirit  for  a  moment  reign  supreme. 
For  the  time  I  would  be  happy,  but  when  the  curtain  drop- 
ped I  fell  too,  and  was  the  sad,  gloomy  man  again. 

I  hated  myself  and  the  world,  but  I  never  expressed  it. 
I  felt  alone.  I  was  happiest  when  in  the  society  of  the 
truly  refined  and  delicate,  but  then  my  life  was  such  that 
I  felt  out  of  place  when  in  the  society  I  most  enjoyed. 
I  would  rush  forth  into  witticisms,  and  cover  up  the  deep- 
est feelings  of  the  heart.  I  cursed  the  hour  I  was  born.  I 
cursed  myself,  for  I  was  not  happy,  and  I  knew  not  where 
to  find  happiness. 

Oh  !  friends,  you  may  see  a  smile  on  the  stranger's  face, 
but  it  does  not  always  speak  the  heart. 

The  call-boy^  is  coming,  and  I  must  hasten  away. 

Sir,  this  is  a  long  story,  and  I  must  give  it  in  piece- 
meals. I  hope  it  will  be  of  service.  I  will  finish  another 
time — now  it  makes  me  too  gloomy  for  the  medium. 

Here  he  closed,  and  through  Mrs.  Leeds  it  was  said : 

I  see  a  bright  angel  descending,  laden  with  a  precious 
treasure.  He  is  robed  in  ethereal  blue.  On  his  brow  is  a 
coronet  of  sparkling  gems.  He  has  a  silver  breastplate, 
on  which  are  letters  of  glittering,  burning  fire,  and  around 
each  letter  is  twined  a  vine. 

He  comes  in  majesty  and  glory,  surrounded  by  a  gor- 
geous light.     In  his  hand  is  a  staff,  glittering,  sparkling, 


436  SPIRITUALISM. 

and  bright.  As  he  advances,  majestically,  beautifully,  yet 
humble  in  mien,  his  appearance  is  sublime.  The  letters 
on  his  breastplate  are  Hope. 

He  speaks  to  me  :  "  Child  of  earth  !  I  was  in  my  happy 
home,  far  away  among  the  spirits  of  brightness  and  love, 
and  the  w^ords  came  to  me,  *  Arise  !  leave  thy  happy 
abode,  and  to  earth.  Thy  companion.  Truth,  has  gone 
forth  and  is  triumphing  there.  The  angel  of  Love  is 
gently  descending,  following  Truth.  Mortals  have  greeted 
their  treasured  gems  and  gathered  them  close  to  their 
hearts,  but  they  are  mortals  still.  With  truth  they  have 
evil ;  with  love,  hate ;  and  as  Truth  dawns  on  the  soul, 
Evil  whispers  his  fiendish  words,  and  makes  them  doubt. 
As  Love  has  gone  forth.  Hate  has  stepped  in,  severed  the 
links  the  bright  spirits  have  woven,  and  made  them  doubt 
each  other's  truth.  JSTow  thou  must  go  forth.  Mortals  are 
wcsary.  They  need  more  aid.  Thou,  beautiful  one  !  must 
go  forth  and  tell  them  the  door  is  open  for  evil  and  for 
good.  Both  have  entered  freely,  and  they  are  discouraged. 
They  have  seen  the  evil  and  missed  the  good,  and  felt  as  if 
there  was  no  hope. 

"  But  thou  wilt  whisper  gentle  words  to  them.  Thou 
wilt  shower  treasures  on  their  hearts.  Tell  them  to  hope 
through  all  ills — to  hope  on  and  ever.  Thou  hast  been 
sent  by  a  Father's  hand  to  bid  them  look  forward  to  the  fu- 
ture. Though  the  ills  of  life  may  disturb  them,  there  is 
something  beyond  that  will  triumph  over  all.' 

"  I  went  forth  the  Angel  of  Hope.  I  come  now  to  bid 
mortals  look  forward  to  the  future,  and  though  evils  may 
creep  in,  to  have  charity,  to  watch  with  brotherly  care  that 
the  evil  may  be  eradicated. 

"  May  my  influence  cheer  the  wanderer.  We  three 
will  go  hand  in  hand,  and  mortals  will  feel  it.  Love, 
Hope,  and  Truth  unite  in  singing,  ^  The  hand  that  made 
us  is  divine.' " 

There  is  another  angel  hovering  near.  He  is  clothed 
in  white,  with  a  crown  of  lilies.     His  mantle  is  spangled 


SPIRITUALISM.  437 

with  stars.  He  is  Charity.  He  says  to  man,  "  Take  my 
mantle,  and  though  thy  brother  try  thee,  clasp  it  tighter  to 
thy  heart !" 

O !  could  you  see  the  spirits  about  you !  As  I  speak, 
they  are  forming  a  happy  band,  singing  praises,  whisper- 
ing blessed  teachings,  and  praying  you  may  receive  their 
lessons  ;  for  remember,  mortals !  God  has  willed  it  and 
pronounced  it  good. 


tttim  J|}ftg-sii\ 


Monday,  May  22,  1854. 

The  circle  met  at  Mr.  Sweet's.  The  Belgian  lady  spoke  through  Dr. 
Dexter  as  follows  (it  being  a  continuation  of  her  story) : 

It  is  not  because  the  spirit  feels  and  endures  his  own 
suffering  that  he  is  punished.  Suffer  he  must,  from  the 
knowledge  that  he  has  sinned  ;  suffer  he  must,  to  feel  that 
he  is  cut  off  from  the  enjoyment  of  those  scenes  of  happi- 
ness that  others  partake  of,  but  which  he  can  not  approach. 
But  more  keen  is  the  suffering,  because  he  knows  that  the 
whole  spirit-world  can  see  his  sin  written  on  his  face,  and 
feel  that  his  punishment  is  just.  How  I  have  suffered,  no 
one  can  tell !  "Where  is  the  sun  that  used  to  shine  so 
brightly  on  my  face,  that  every  thing  had  the  hue  of 
Heaven  upon  which  its  rays  lighted  ?  Where  is  the  carol 
of  the  birds  ?  Where  that  beautiful  music,  which  caught 
on  its  dying  strains  the  echoes  of  my  own  heart,  and  float- 
ed in  harmony  up  to  God  ?  Where  the  trees — where  the 
flowers,  I  loved  so  well  ?  Great  God  !  where  are  those 
whom  thou  gavest  to  me — precious,  precious  jewels  !  my 


438  SPIKITUALISM. 

children?  It  seems  as  if  I  hear  their  wail  coming  even 
now  from  above,  reaching  me  here  with  a  voice  that  never 
can  die,  "Mother!  mother!  where  are  you?  O,  come  to 
us,  leave  us  not,  mother  !" 

I  have  a  view  of  that  which  is  before  me.  I  see  the 
right — I  see  the  path !  Just  so  I  saw  it  when  I  was  on 
earth.  Even  now  my  soul  asks  of  itself,  Is  this  punish- 
ment for  wrong,  or  is  it  the  working  of  that  never-ending 
principle  that  pervades  nature  everywhere— the  principle 
of  reparation  ?  I  am  not  punished,  for  there  is  no  hand 
that  controls  me — no  hand  that  guides  me ;  and  yet  I  can 
not  do  otherwise  than  I  do.  O  !  Thou  whose  resting-place 
is  in  heaven — whose  eye  seeth  all  thy  created  works — 
whose  being  is  so  pure  and  holy — whose  law  is  so  supreme 
— whose  power  so  infinite — whose  love  so  great,  and  whose 
mercy  is  never-ceasing !  if  th6  agony  of  a  suffering  heart 
can  reach  Thy  throne.  Father,  forgive,  forgive  the  erring 
soul ! — erring — willful — bitterly  willful  ! — that  will  that 
crushed  every  thing  between  it  and  heaven,  and  made 
its  step  to  hell  out  of  the  deepest  feelings  of  its  nature. 
Erring !  So  Satan  might  have  erred,  if  he  knew  that 
if  he  raised  his  hand,  the  unerring  hand  of  God  would 
smite  him.  I  was  told  that  in  spite  of  his  knowledge  he 
raised  his  hand  against  his  Creator  !  What  did  I  do  less  ? 
Why,  the  long  years  I  have  groped  in  darkness  so  profound, 
that  not  a  ray  of  light  penetrated  it,  was  exquisite  happi- 
ness compared  with  the  light  that  unsealed  all  the  secrets 
of  my  soul  to  the  spirits  around  me  !  You  may  talk  of 
patience— you  may  whisper  words  of  gentlest  consolation 
to  the  drooping  heart — but  he  that  does  a  wrong,  knowing 
it  to  be  wrong,  and  persisting  in  it,  not  only  feels  the  fear- 
ful consequences  of  that  sin,  but,  in  addition,  there  is  the 
whole  weight  of  that  heart's  agony  which  he  has  wronged. 


SPIBIT.TTAAJJWv  439 


uliffii  Jfiftg-sthn. 


Thursday^  May  25,  1854. 
The  circle  met,  and  through  Laura  it  was  said : 

I  STAND  on  a  plain.  It  is  a  green  field,  with  short  grass, 
and  on  my  left  it  extends  like  a  prairie,  far  into  the  dis- 
tance. Immediately  in  front  of  me  is  an  immense  mount- 
ain, covered  with  short,  green  grass,  which  gradually  as- 
cends from  where  I  stand. 

The  whole  mountain  has  the  appearance  of  a  triangle, 
round  in  front,  but  without  a  tree  or  shrub  on  it.  There 
is  a  pathway,  which  leads  up  the  mountain  straight  to  the 
top,  and  on  its  summit  stands  the  figure  of  a  man. 

There  is  a  pale  pink  light  all  over  the  mountain  that 
comes  from  behind  it,  and  casts  its  hue  on  the  sky,  and 
fades  off  into  a  golden  tint,  and  so  on  to  a  deep  yellow. 
•  I  look  back,  and  see  a  mass  of  faces  as  far  as  the  eye 
can  reach,  and  I  hear  a  rustling  sound  as  of  many  persons. 
I  look  to  the  mountain  again,  and  now  I  see  the  sun  rising 
slowly,  high,  bright,  and  clear,  behind  the  man,  and  throw- 
ing a  splendid,  bright,  clear,  pink  light  over  the  whole 
scene.  It  is  ascending  higher  and  higher,  and  becomes 
brighter  and  brighter. 

I  am  directed  to  look  beyond  the  mountain,  and  there  I 
see  myriads  of  spirits  approaching,  bearing  each  some- 
thing in  his  hand,  and  rapidly  advancing.  They  come  in 
bands,  and  there  is  a  bright  white  light  around  them.  The 
rustling  sound  grows  louder. 

I  am  now  told  to  look  to  the  left,  and  there  I  see  a  spirit 
approaching,  holding  in  his  hand  a  scroll,  on  which  is  writ- 
ten, "  Liberty  of  Thought."  To  the  right  I  see  a  banner,  far 
distant,  but  approaching.     On  it- are  words  in  gold  within 


440 


SPIRITUALISM. 


a  myrtle  wreath,  "  God  is  Truth.  Onward  !  still  onward  ! 
for  Truth  shall  prevail.     Hope  on  !     Hope  ever  !" 

And  now  I  hear  the  softest  music,  gentle,  rich,  melodi- 
ous, indescribable — not  instrumental,  but  rich  enough  to  be 
so.  I  ask  what  it  is  ?  and  the  spirit  answers,  "  Child  of 
Earth !  'tis  the  voice  of  prayer,  blending  and  resounding 
through  space,  which  in  this  gentle,  harmonious  manner 
wafts  its  way  to  the  Godhead." 

And  now  all  is  hushed,  and  I  see  two  figures  on  the  hill. 
He  who  came  last  has  a  scroll,  on  which  is  written,  "  Else ! 
thy  faith  has  made  thee  whole.  Thou  art  a  leper  no 
longer."  The  other,  with  his  hand  uplifted,  speaks  thus : 
"  Mortals  !  brothers  !  you  see  the  rising  orb  before  you — 
you  see  the  light  penetrates  space.  Arise  from  your  dark- 
ness. Behold  the  light  of  heaven  which  is  for  one  and 
all !  See  the  armies  of  God's  messengers  hastening  to  the 
rescue.  Arise  !  Gird  on  the  armor  of  courage  !  Behold 
that  banner  !  Ponder  on  its  words,  and  forward  !  for  this 
mount  must  be  ascended,  in  order  to  see  the  fair  scene  far 
beyond  it.  Let  your  voices  be  blended  harmoniously  in 
one  universal  praj^er  for  light  and  truth,  and  the  restless 
murmur  which  now  pervades  you  be  turned  into  a  song  of 
rejoicing  to  Him  who  said.  Let  there  be  light." 

ITow  I  am  borne  away  from  this  scene,  and  I  feel  a 
grateful  perfume.  I  ask  what  it  is  ?  and  it  is  answered, 
"See  you  not  flowers  springing  up  everywhere?  Read 
what  they  say,  '  Charity  to  all  and  for  all.  Hope  !  cour- 
age !  faith !  Love  for  all.  Throw  the  mantle  of  charity 
over  every  one,  for  it  covereth  a  multitude  of  sins.  Act 
each  for  thyself  Heed  well  these  simple  lessons,  for  in 
their  simplicity  there  is  much  weight,  and  the  perfume  of 
thy  daily  acts  shall  ascend  a  grateful  incense  to  Him  who 
has  given  thee  these  flowers.  Away  to  earth  again.  Give 
what  thou  hast  seen,  and  heed  the  lesson  well." 

Afterward  through  me  this  was  given : 

From  Heaven's  high  throne  the  word  has  gone  forth. 


SPIRITUALISM.  441 

From  the  inconceivable  brightness  around  the  great  I  AM, 
flashing  in  its  dazzling  radiance,  the  mandate  has  issued, 
"  The  work  of  man's  redemption  has  begun,  and  it  shall  be 
finished." 

Peters  may  deny,  Judases  may  betray,  the  affrighted 
herd,  terrified  at  the  cruel  cry  of  "  Crucify  him  !  crucify 
him !"  may  flee  at  the  approach  of  danger,  but  one  will 
again  be  found  to  plant  the  cross  on  the  summit  of  Mount 
Calvary,  as  a  beacon  light  to  future  ages,  though  he  bear  it 
alone,  and  there  water  it  in  his  own  life-blood. 

You,  who  are  chosen  ministers  of  this  great  Truth,  are 
free  to  labor  or  to  flee. 

If  you  flee,  calculate  first  the  consequences  to  yourselves 
and  to  those  who  have  intrusted  you  with  their  confidence 
and  love. 

If  you  labor,  let  it  be  with  stout  hearts  and  unfearing 
minds.  Let  not  the  toils,  the  trials,  or  the  temptations  of 
life  impede  you,  and  to  you  be  all  the  glory. 

And  know  ye  all  that  it  is  not  for  yourselves  ye  toil,  but 
for  Him  whose  ministering  servants  ye  are,  and  for  the 
countless  hosts  of  immortal  beings  who  in  future  ages  will 
approach  His  throne,  redeemed  by  His  love  through  your 
ministration. 


44:2  .  SPIEITUALISM, 


Butian  Jiiftg-tigljt 


Tuesday,  May  30,  1854. 
The  circle  met,  and  through  Mrs.  Leeds,  as  medium,  "  The  History 
of  a  Philosopher,"  as  he  called  himself,  was  given  as  follows : 

I  WAS  80  bitter  to  the  human  race  that  I  led  a  secluded 
life — a  hermit  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  I  grew  up  sav- 
age to  meet  an  eternal  God.  I  was  bred  in  affluence,  and 
my  parents  left  me  a  heritage.  I  was  courted.  They  called 
me  manly-looking,  and  added  the  appendage,  intellectual. 
I  met,  at  twenty-three  years  of  age,  a  lady,  not  fair  to  look 
upon,  but  she  was  intellectual,  graceful,  and  all  I  wished 
her  to  be.  I  lavished  all  my  affections  upon  her.  She 
took  them,  and  I  thought  her  the  beau-ideal  of  perfection. 
I  was  sure  she  would  sympathize  with  me,  and  take  my 
last  breath  when  leaving  the  world.  One  day,  walking  in 
the  garden  (I  remember  it  weIl-1),  I  saw  her  and  a  friend 
on  a  balcony  approaching  the  sp'ot  where  I  was.  I  stood 
behind  a  tree,  unobserved  by  them.  They  came  and  sat 
down  by  the  tree.  I  intended  in  a  moment  to  step  out, 
and  amid  the  chat  appear  before  them ;  but  I  heard  her 
say  to  her  friend,  "  I  could  love  him  better,  but  he  is  too 
lavish  with  his  affections ;  it  is  almost  insipid."  I  turned. 
The  serpent  was  in  me.  I  had  no  more  love  for  her.  My 
brain  reeled.  I  know  not  what  else  she  said.  I  had  heard 
enough.  There  was  only  one  human  being  that  I  still 
loved — that  was  a  companion  of  nay  youth.  My  brain 
reeled  with  madness.  I  passed  on,  and  the  lady  was  never 
troubled  with  my  affections.  When  the  rose  withered,  she 
withered.  I  know  not  what  became  of  her,  and  care  less. 
I  plunged  into  dissipation,  'from  sin  to  sin,  with  my  friend. 
I  played  deeply.  He  was  always  my  friend.  Reckless,  I 
stumbled  and  fell.     One  word  from  him  would  have  saved 


SPIEITUALISM.  '^^4B 

me  from  destruction ;  but  no  !  he  turned  from  me  also — 
left  me  poor,  degraded,  and  disgraced.  Tliere  was  no 
one  human  hand  to  stretch  out  and  say,  "Be  of  good 
cheer."  I  traveled  bare-footed  until  I  reached  the  summit 
of  a  hill  which  overlooked  a  city ;  I  looked  around  and  bid 
farewell  to  all  mankind.  I  led  a  hermit's  life,  and  treated 
the  human  race  as  scorpions  or  adders,  and  if  thej  passed 
my  hut  and  were  thirsty,  I  did  not  aid  them.  No  !  a  drop 
of  water  was  too  cool  to  give.  I  would  have  sooner  given 
a  coal  of  fire  to  make  their  misery  more !  So  I  lived — so  I 
passed  into  eternity,  not  expecting  to  have  my  eyes  opened 
to  any  thing  of  a  future  life.  'No  I  annihilation,  I  thought, 
was  man's  destiny.  I  acknowledged  a  First  Cause,  but 
naught  else.  At  fifty  years  of  age  I  was  launched  into 
eternity,  and  the  first  that  met  my  gaze  were  friends  I  had 
left  on  earth  whom  I  had  hoped  never  to  meet  again.  I 
was  taken  with  despair  and  remorse  of  conscience.  I  was 
amazed.  I  looked  upon  myself — enough  !  for  the  serpent 
was  stinging  me.  I  was  clothed  in  the  human  form.  What ! 
was  I  not  dead  ?  Had  not  I  gone  ?  "Was  I  in  a  phren- 
sy  ?  Was  it  imagination  ?  I  know  not  how  long  I  thus 
mused,  when  I  was  conducted  to  the  earth.  I  looked  and 
saw  a  form  clothed  with  raga  and  vermin.  I  looked  and 
saw  I  was  living,  and  seemed  to  have  a  body  still,  and  in 
anguish  I  cried,  "  Oh,  is  there  no  death  or  grave  ?  I  am, 
then,  with  my  kind  again ;  but  I  see  no  plain  to  retire  to 
from  all  around  me,"  for  I  was  surrounded  by  adders  in 
human  form,  and  oh,  what  a  hell  !  Your  imaginations 
could  not  picture  such  a  hell.  Twenty  years  have  I  been 
here,  and  the  first  ray  of  hope  that  dawned  on  me  was 
but  a  short  time  ago.  My  mother !  my  mother  has  given 
me  three  flowers  ;  I  have  not  seen  her,  but  I  know  it  must 
be  her.  When  I  drank  deep  of  anguish,  I  saw  a  flower  in 
my  path,  and  on  the  leaves  were  written  the  word  "  Hope." 
After  many  of  your  days  I  found  another  flower.  On  it 
was  written,  "Your  mother."  I  cried  in  my  soul,  "Come 
to  me,  my  mother  !"     After  waiting  long,  another  came  to 


4AA  SPIEITITALISM. 

me,  on  which  was  written,  ''  Catch  at  the  ray  of  light,  and 
you  shall  see  your  mother."  In  my  loneliness  I  saw  a  dis- 
tant ray  of  light  and  a  form  pointing ;  I  followed  by  in- 
stinct, as  the  hound  follows  the  hunt.  I  knew  not  for  what 
I  came.  It  was  to  earth,  among  mortals  again,  I  was  to  min- 
gle, and  tell  them  of  my  fate,  in  order  to  reach  my  mother. 
I  was  told  I  must  come  gently.  I  was  attracted  to  you, 
my  young  friend.  I  liked  not  the  instrument,  because  she 
awakened  in  me  an  interest.  I  did  not  want  to  find  another 
of  her  sex  to  feel  interested  in.  Then  came  another  flower, 
which  said,  "Tell  your  griefs  to  mortals,  for  by  it  you 
shall  progress,  and  we  will  travel  on  together." 

I  came  to  you,  first  telling  you  of  my  being  by  the  sea- 
side. "Watching  the  ocean,  and  taking  up  a  pebble,  I 
would  throw  it  into  the  water,  and  as  I  threw  it,  it  would 
make  a  circle,  and  thus  I  philosophized:  "Thus  it  is  with 
the  human  race,  soon  to  be  no  more  ;  they  will  soon  be 
gathered  to  their  fathers."  But  I  find  it  difi'erent  ;  for 
what  you  leave  undone  on  the  land  which  your  God  giveth 
you,  you  must  do  when  in  eternity.  He  gives  you  talents 
and  every  faculty,  and  if  Jiot  well  used,  and  your  duties 
fulfilled,  he  sends  you  to  earth  to  perform  them  yet.  I 
hear  a  voice,  and  it  says,  "And  in  thus  coming,  you  will 
engender  better  feelings,  and  you  will  learn  to  feel  affec- 
tion for  the  human  kind.  'Tis  even  so,"  she  says,  "and 
you  will  wish  to  do  them  good,  and  when  you  shall  save 
one  soul  you  shall  be  raised  from  despondency  to  the  sum- 
mit of  a  hill."  I  shall  come  again  to  finish.  Had  I  but 
stretched  forth  my  hand  to  save  a  child,  even  in  tlie  streets, 
from  harm,  or  allayed  one  pang,  this  would  not  have  been 
my  fate.  My  mother  has  sent  another  flower,  on  which  is 
written,  "  Have  patience  and  hope,  my  son."  My  name 
was  Bernard  Carlisle,  of  Freyburg,  Germany.  My  mother 
was  Scotch,  and  my  father  a  German. 

Through  Laura,  the  spirit  of  Queen  Elizabeth  of  England  came  and 
said  : 

I  have  rode  in  state,  and  cut  down  tlie  noblest  of  souls, 


SPIRITUALISM.  445 

men  and  women  ;  and  now  the  beggar,  that  looked  on  me 
with  awe,  is  far  above  me. 

If  all  monarchs  knew  their  fate  here,  they  would  be  as 
humble  as  the  meanest  peasant. 

I  was  reared  unfortunately  for  myself  and  my  nation. 
In  nly  y^outh  I  had  all  the  feelings,  all  the  tenderness  of 
girlhood.  Few  thought  it.  But  my  father's  proud,  stern 
nature  was  in  me,  and  as  years  advanced,  his  pride  grew  in 
me ;  the  affections  were  quenched,  and  I  became  an  ice- 
berg. 

I  ascended  a  throne  with  many  good  impulses  and  inten-- 
tions,  but  some  around  me  took  advantage  of  my  weak- 
ness and  betrayed  me,  and  then  I  became  hardened.  They 
called  me  Good  Queen  Bess,  their  much-loved  sovereign, 
but  I  saw  beneath  it  the  dark  current  of  hatred,  and  my 
heart  hat-ed  in  return. 

Tliere  was  a  fair  daughter,  reared  in  luxury,  who  was  my 
bane.  I  slept  not  at  night  for  thinking  of  her  who  could 
easily  supplant  me,  not  on  the  throne,  but  in  hearts  I  would 
fain  have  h^td  love  me.  She'  came  to  claim  her  crown.  I 
little  thought  in  depriving  her  of  an  earthly  crown  I  was 
giving  her  a  resplendent,  heavenly  one  that  I  could  never 
take  away. 

What  atoms  are  men !  They  think  they  are  moving  na- 
tions— performing  mighty  deeds.  When  laid  in  the  dust, 
they  will  see  to  what  small  things  they  were  turning  their 
attention. 

I  lived  a  reckless  life,  yet  within  me  was  a  still,  small 
voice,  saying,  "  Beware."  Years  rolled  on — laws  were 
made — deeds  done — would  they  had  never,  been  done  ! 
And  I  saw  my  rival  laid  in  the  dust  at  my  command,  and 
I  gloried.  But  peace  was  never  mine  from  that  hour. 
'Twas  hell  on  earth.  History  too  truly  tells  my  character 
— too  truly  records  my  deeds.  I  can  not  bear  to  look  on 
the  past,  but  I  must  tell  my  story,  in  order  to  progress. 

The  day  came  when  my  sun  was  to  set,  and  truly  it  set, 
as  I  thought,  never  to  rise  again.    I  withered  away  like 


4A:Q  SPIRITUALISM. 

the  merest  shrub.  I,  the  Queen  of  England,  died  like  other 
mortals;  I  had  to  sink  into  the  grave.  I  found  myself 
dying,  and  with  what  horror  1  thought  of  leaving  life  !  for 
in  my  youth  I  had  been  taught  the  Catholic  faith,  yet  found 
many  things  more  acceptable  in  the  Protestant  faith,  and 
scarcely  knew  where  I  stood  when  on  the  threshold  of 
life. 

My  subjects  flocked  around  me.  I  felt  there  were  many 
who  sorrowed ;  but  I  had  sinned  against  God,  and  what 
was  my  crown  to  me?  I  heard  them  say,  "She's  going — 
•send  the  tidings."  I  could  have  got  up  and  throttled 
them. 

Breath  left  me,  and,  horrors  on  horrors  !  I  found  mj^self 
in  a  dark,  dreary  region.  I  heard  voices  in  every  direc- 
tion, but  not  the  soothing  ones  my  soul  craved. 

I  saw  spirits  garbed  in  dark  colors  approaching  me,  and 
who,  do  you  think,  was  their  leader  ?  Tall  and  command- 
ing, but  sorrowful,  and  coming  with  all  the  passions  of 
man — 'twas  my  father!  I  could  have  groveled  in  the 
earth,  and  hid  my  face,  for  I  beheld  I  was  darker  than  he, 
and  he  was  dark  enough. 

They  spoke  to  me,  hissed  in  my  ears,  and  some  said, 
*' Where  is  good  Queen  Bess  now?"  I  saw  at  a  distance 
a  beautiful  spirit  coming  toward  me.  I  could  have  sunk 
into  a  chasm.  You  can  guess  who  it  was — it  was  the  saint- 
ed Mary  of  Scots.  She  was  the  first  to  offer  me  a  heavenly 
crown.  She  stood  ready  with  it  in  her  hand.  That  was 
more  punishment  to  me  than  being  in  such  a  dark,  dreary 
home.  Yet  I  felt  her  gentle  influence  and  her  silvery 
voice,  and  I  did  not  resist  her  or  go  with  those  who  were 
hissing  in  my  ears  and  coaxing  me  on.  She  saw  in  my 
|houghts  the  wavering  state  of  my  soul,  and  she  said, 
/'  "  Sister,  arise  !  I  await  thee.  My  love !  despair  not ; 
there  is  hope  for  all."  And  again  came  all  the  beautiful, 
pure  impulses  of  my  childhood,  and  with  them  humility 
and  remorse,  and  I  crouched  at  her  feet  and  wept.  She 
still  stood  there,  and  other  bright  spirits  flocked  around 


SPIRITUALISM. 


44:f 


her.  Some  I  knew.  They  would .  not  leave  me.  My  fa- 
ther stood  anxiously  looking  as  if  his  fate  depended  on 
mine.  A  crowd  of  bright  spirits  flocked  around  him,  took 
him  by  the  hand,  and  we  ascended  together ;  and  slowly 
have  I  ascended  since,  but  that  bright  spirit  has  never  left 
me.  I  could  not  progress  fast,  I  had  so  many  earthly  feel- 
ings. I  felt  I  was  a  queen.  How  it  retards  progress  !  As 
I  go  on,  I  leave  the  queen  behind.  All  grows  brighter, 
but  what  a  distance  I  have  yet  to  climb!  And  spirits 
have  told  me  that,  to  climb  faster,  I  must  return  and 
review  my  life,  and  do  what-  I  had  never  done — some 
good. 

Now  I  must  leave  you.  This  night  will  be  eventful  for 
me,  for  I  shall  have  taken  a  step  onward.  And  when  you 
think  of  spirits,  think  of  unfortunate  Queen  Bess,  and  pray 
for  her — you'll  all  have  brighter  crowns.  I  hope  to  meet 
you  one  day.     Farewell. 


^uiion  Jfiftg-nint 


West  Roxbury,  Mass., 
Saturday  Evening^  August  19,  1854 


\ 


This  evening  a  circle  was  held,  consisting  of  the  Doctor,  Mrs.  Hall, 
of  this  place,  Mrs.  Leeds,  of  Boston,  my  daughter,  my  niece,  and  my- 
self. And  it  was  written  through  Dr.  Dexter,  that  Washington  wished 
to  speak  to  me.    And  then  through  me  it  was  spoken : 

Of  what  moment  would  be  a  revelation  from  the  high 
court  of  Heaven  itself  to  man  if  it  were  not  to  affect  and 
control  his  daily  walk  in  life?  Of  what  value  would  be  a 
religion  that  is  assumed  as  a  holyday  garment  only,  and  laid 


44:8  SPIRITUALISM. 

aside  'mid  the  daily  duties  of  your  earthly  existence,  or  that 
would  consist  in  mere  profession  without  action?  How  im- 
perfect and  unavailing  the  regeneration  of  the  human  heart, 
unless  it  were  shadowed  forth  in  your  every  act !  If  the 
great  object  of  the  mighty  movement  which  is  now  upturn- 
ing the  foundations  of  the  moral  world,  is  to  prepare  man- 
kind during  their  primary  existence  for  an  eternal  one,  then 
it  must,  in  the  very  nature  of  tilings,  in  order  to  be  eifectual, 
stamp  its  impress  upon  every  thought  of  the  mind,  on  every 
feeling  of  the  heart,  on  every  act  of  the  outer  and  inner 
man.  In  all  his  relations,  domestic  or  public,  civil  or  relig- 
ious, aifecting  himself  alone  or  in  connection  with  his  fel- 
low-man, its  influence  must  be  felt,  and  must  be  all-power- 
ful. Man's  regeneration  can  not  be  confined  within  the 
limits  of  profession,  can  not  be  circumscribed  by  a  portion 
only  of  his  earthly  duties,  but  it  must  reach  every  act, 
must  extend  over  every  relation,  must  embrace  every  duty. 
How  otherwise  can  this  life  be  a  preparation  for  an  eternal 
one  ?  How  can  man  fitly  prepare  himself  for  the  countless 
ages  of  eternity,  if  his  primary  lesson  be  devoted  more  to 
his  material  gratification  than  his  spiritual  elevation  ?  How 
if  he  at  the  same  time  attempts  to  serve  the  world  with  its 
perversions  and  sinful  propensities,  and  with  only  an  equal 
devotion  dedicates  himself  to  his  higher  moral  duties  to  his 
great  Creator  ?  Nay,  it  can  not  be,  and  one  of  the  fallacies 
which  have  flowed  from  the  evils  and  misdirections  of  the 
past,  one  of  the  false  teachings  which  have  sprung  from 
the  same  womb  that  has  given  birth  to  the  infidelity  that 
is  so  wide-spread  among  men,  that  it  has  traveled  with  its 
twin-sister  down  the  stream  of  time,  is  the  dogma  that 
Religion  and  Government  have  no  connection  with  each 
other. 

:  The  government  that  repudiates  the  dictates  of  religion, 
that  repels  from  its  action  the  moral  lessons  which  descend 
from  heaven  to  earth,  can  not  look  to  realms  above  for  its 
origin  or  its  inspiration,  nor  can  it  claim  the  aid  of  the 
bright  and  holy  spirits  who  in  obedience  to  His  will  are 


SPIRITUALISM.  449 

now  shedding  his  light  abroad  on  the  human  heart.  The 
government  that  refuses  to  acknowledge  the  higher  moral 
influences  that  are  ever  at  work  among  men,  builds  its 
foundation  on  the  sand,  and  invokes  to  its  destruction  the 
frightful  current  of  selfishness,  violence,  and  corruption, 
which  have  so  long  marked  the  dominant  powers  of  the 
old  world,  and  have  already  made  a  frightful  inroad  upon 
those  institutions  built  by  your  fathers  of  the  last  century 
amid  prayer  and  thanksgiving  to  God.  ^o  wonder  that 
the  happy  land,  where  freedom  hath  her  abiding-place- 
echoes  now  so  loudly  with  the  iron  tread  of  the  slave- 
holder. Xo  wonder  that  the  power  and  position  of  your 
rulers  are  held  up  to  your  people  as  the  spoils  of  a  sacked 
city  to  gratify  cupidity,  and  to  corrupt  the  hearts  of  the 
people.  'No  wonder  that  the  sacred  fane  of  your  freedom  to 
which  the -eyes  of  the  world  have  so  long  been  directed,  and 
around  which  cluster  the  hopes  of  your  spirit-fathers  gone 
before,  is  polluted  by  the  presence  of  the  money-changers.- 
No  wonder  that  again  is  demanded  some  fearless  one  to 
overthrow  their  tables  and  purify  the  holy  temple  of  God. 
No  wonder  that  alienation  in  the  hearts  of  your  people  has 
taken  the  place  of  that  brotherly  love  which  once  marked 
you  as  a  united  people  !  !N"o  wonder  that  discord  has 
•  stalked  abroad  in  your  land,  and  seated  itself  in  the  high 
places  by  the  side  of  power,  and  held  it  trembling  in  its 
seat.  Ko  wonder  that  now,  broadcast  in  the  hearts  of  the 
nation  is  a  feeling  of  despondency  in  reference  to  the  future. 
1^0  wonder  that  men  are  calculating  the  value  of  your 
union  as  they  would  the  value  of  cattle  in  your  markets.. 
InTo  wonder  that  the  enemies  of  freedom  throughout  the 
world,  and  in  the  spirit-land  too,  are  gloating  over  the 
scene  of  corruption,  of  slavery,  of  discord,  which  my  un- 
happy country  now  presents  in  the  presence  of  man  and 
God. 

Oh !  could  you  feel ;  oh  !  could  you  see  the  anguish  that 
wrings  the  hearts  of  those  who  toiled  to  make  you  free  and 
happy— could  you  witness  the  gloom  which  the  prospect 

29 


4:50  SPIRITUALISM. 

of  the  future  casts  over  their  minds — could  you  behold  the 
sad  anxiety  which  now  pervades  the  spirits  of  countless 
hosts  who  are  engaged  in  this  mighty  work — could  you 
feel  as  we  feel  the  dark  cloud  that  ascends  from  your  midst 
to  Heaven,  bearing  toward  his  throne  the  impress  of  man's 
most  evil  passions,  and  repelling  from  your  midst  the  holier 
and  purer  aspirations  that  are  ready  to  descend  upon  you, 
you  would  start  back  appalled  at  the  prospect,  and  lifting 
up  your  hands  and  hearts  as  we  do  to  the  throne  of  the 
most  high  God,  you  would  unite  with  us  in  beseeching 
him  to  have  mercy  yet  on  our  common  country,  and  on 
mankind ;  beseeching  him  to  drive  far  from  you  the  de- 
stroying angel  that  is  reveling  in  your  midst,  sapping  to 
their  foundations  the  institutions  which  were  consecrated 
by  our  blood  and  our  toil.  Deeply  interested  in  the  wel^ 
fare  of  my  country,  bound  up  as  my  heart  even  yet  is  in 
the  continuance  of  its  freedom ;  looking  on  its  institutions 
as  the  great  fountain  of  freedom  that  was  yet  to  flow  over 
the  whole  earth,  I  ask  myself,  "Where  now  is  the  spirit 
that  made  us  free?"  and  from  dark  and  dismal  depths 
alone  a  voice  answers,  "  Here,  buried  beneath  the  load  of 
oppression  and  selfishness  which  has-  grown  up  and  over- 
whelmed us."  The  voice  that  once  proclaimed  freedom, 
and  sent  its  glad  shout  through  illimitable  space  to  the 
footstool  of  God,  and  brought  thence  its  echo  proclaiming 
emancipation  and  happiness  to  man,  is  now  but  faintly 
heard  beneath  the  overwhelming  load  that  is  heaped  upon 
it,  and  drowned  as  it  is  by  the  clanking  chains  of  the 
slave  and  the  lash  of  his  master,  fail  to  keep  pace  even 
with  the  dark  cloud  your  corruption  has  sent  up. 

Standing  high  amid  the  light  which  falls  from  Heaven's 
throne,  and  casting  my  view  back  to  the  spot  I  love  so 
well,  I  look  in  vain  for  the  bright  and  beautiful  light  that 
ascended  when  I  did,  and  bore  me  companionship  in  my 
passage  to  the  realms  of  the  blest.  Oh,  think  not,  my 
friends,  that  this  is  fancy's  sketch.  Deem  not  that  it  is  a 
picture  of  a  diseased  imagination.     It  is  a  sad  reality  in 


SPIEITTJALISM.  451 

your  very  midst,  witnessed  by  God,  by  spirits,  and  by 
men ;  mourned  over  by  the  good,  exulted  over  by  the 
evil,  and  casting  over  the  prospects  of  the  future  its  dark 
and  gloomy  cloud.  Ask  yourselves  if  it  is  not  so  ?  Ask 
your  hearts  to  speak  their  fears  as  to  the  future?  Ask 
the  enemies  of  freedom  upon  earth  ?  Ask  the  down-trod- 
den millions  who  have  ever  looked  to  you  as  their  bea- 
con light,  and  see  if  there  will  not  come  up  from  all 
these  sources  one  general  response.  "  Alas !  alas !  it  is 
true."  And  if  it  is,  upon  what  foundation  do  you  rest  an 
expectation  that  your  nation  and  its  cause  can  merit  the 
favor  of  God  ?  Upon  what  basis  can  you  build  your  hopes 
of  its  perpetuity,  and  what  is  there  to  keep  burning  before 
the  world  the  light  of  your  freedom  which  we  kindled  for 
man? 

The  high  destiny  prepared  for  my  country,  its  onward 
progress  toward  eminence  and  happiness,  the  influence  of 
its  example  on  the  world,  the  spread  of  its  important  lesson 
of  self-government,  where  now  are  they  ?  Spread  abroad 
on  the  face  of  this  vast  continent,  flourishing  in  full  vigor 
of  young  manhood  ?  Answer  me,  for  ye  yourselves  know. 
For  our  part,  instead  of  hearing  the  voice  of  your  happi- 
ness, your  virtue,  and  freedom  ascending  from  a  thousand 
altars  and  meeting  us  on  our  approach  to  earth,  we  have 
to  dive  down  through  the  dark  clouds  you  send  up,  and 
exhume  it  from  the  prison-house  in  which  your  perversions 
have  pent  it  up,  and  unless  your  downward  progress  can 
be  arrested,  unless  you  can  be  returned  to  the  purity  with 
which  you  started,  unless  the  heart  of  the  nation  can  be 
awakened  to  the  fearful  prospect  that  is  before  it,  better 
far  would  it  be  that  the  land  should  again  become  the  hab- 
itation of  the  wild  man  of  the  forest,  and  the  beasts  on 
which  he  preyed.  Better  far  that  it  should  be  so,  than 
that  now,  when  the  corrupt  and  crumbling  institutions  of 
absolutism  throughout  the  world  are  tottering  to  their 
very  foundations,  the  appeal  of  the  oppressed  of  other 
lands  can  meet  no  response  from  this.     Better  far  that  the 


452  SPIEITtJALISM. 

pestilence  which  walks  at  noonday  should  sweep  through 
your  habitations,  than  that  you  should  be  incapable  of 
cheering  on  their  upward  way  the  oppressed  of  other  lands 
on  whom  freedom  is  fast  dawning. 

Oh !  I  once  thought  that  when  this  time  should  come 
(and  well  did  my  prophetic  soul  know  it  would  come),  that 
then  my  beloved  country  would  stand  out  in  the  face  of 
mankind  a  bright  and  shining  light,  not  only  proclaiming 
throughout  the  world  the  reality  of  freedom,  but  pointing 
the  way  to  its  sacred  temple ;  that  it  should  stand  at  its 
very  portals  prepared  to  assist  their  feeble  steps  up  its  toil- 
some ascent,  and  welcoming  them  to  the  fellowship  of  free- 
dom and  the  emancipation  of  man. 

Then  through  the  Doctor  it  was  written : 

This  first  part  of  our  treatise  on  government,  as  the  pre- 
amble to  fact,  is  most  finished.  "Washington  says  he  then 
wishes  to  give  you  a  vision  of  what  exists  here,  to  draw 
the  comparison  with  earth,  and  then  shadow  forth  the  true 
government  that  ought  to  rule  in  your  land. 

Baoon. 


8PIBITUALISH.      .  453 


Sediffu  ^i^tg. 


West  Roxbury,  Aug.  21,  1854. 
The  circle  being  assembled,  through  Dr.  Dexter  it  was  said  : 

The  progressive  demonstration  of  the  works  of  God  is 
better  evidence  of  his  power  than  though  he  had  finished 
them  at  once.  Had  the  world  been  entirely  finished,  there 
would  have  been  no  new  developments.  IsTature,  instead 
of  putting  forth  new  forms  and  shapes,  and  every  new 
form  and  shape  manifesting  an  attribute  in  advance,  would 
have  gradually  decayed,  gradually  retrograded,  and  thus, 
at  this  period  of  the  world's  history,  the  whole  of  its  sur- 
face, and  even  its  depths,  might  have  been  in  a  stage  of 
decay.  t  -  4" 

One  of  the  higher  pu^oses  which  the  Creator  has  mani- 
fested in  his  design  is  the  ability,  the  power,  inherent  in 
every  created  thing,  to  exist,  as  it  were,  by  the  very  prin- 
ciples of  its  creation.  Thus,  instead  of  the  world's  decay- 
ing, instead  of  its  mighty  mountains  crumbling  to  dust  and 
disappearing  from  the  surface  of  the  earth,  whatever  change 
takes  place  in  matter,  it  always  enters  into  some  new  form 
of  combination,  or  the  constituent  of  old  combinations,  and 
thus  lives,  grows,  develops,  generates,  by  the  inherent  prop- 
erties or  principles  of  its  creation. 

This  is  evidence,  too,  of  the  great  power  of  Him  who 
fashioned  every  thing.  And  it  is  no  more  singular  in  ref- 
erence to  inanimate  matter  than  to  animate  matter,  that 
this  principle  of  inherent  progression  is  visible  in  every 
animal  which  has  existed  or  does  exist  on  the  face  of  this 
globe. 

Singular  as  it  may  appear,  and  the  remark  may  be  trite. 


464  SPIKITUALISM. 

for  the  fact  exists  on  your  earth,  there  are  men,  learned 
men,  too,  who  deny  the  possibility  of  any  progressive  de- 
velopment either  in  animals  or  matter.  And  yet  were  it 
possible  for  man  to  penetrate  into  all  parts  of  the  earth, 
to  examine  every  locality,  every  situation  which  offers  any 
inductions  of  interest,  were  it  possible  for  him  to  separate 
from  the  strata  in  which  they  are  imbedded  the  fossil  re- 
mains of  the  earliest  animals  which  lived  on  this  globe, 
and  trace  their  comparative  advance  and  progress  in  the 
scale  of  existence  from  that  period  up  to  this  time,  it  would 
satisfy  the  most  skeptical,  that  where  one  animal  has  been 
developed  as  the  germ,  that  animal  has,  in  the  progress  of 
advancement  of  time  and  circumstance,  put  forth  new  at- 
tributes and  assumed  new  combinations  within  itself,  and 
thus  has  gone  on  increasing,  progressing,  step  by  step, 
until  this  day. 

But  the  question  arises  in  our  minds.  What  is  all  this  for  ? 
Can  you  show  us,  in  comparison  with  man  or  animals,  any 
other  part  of  nature  which  progresses  in  the  same  way  ? 
Yes,  the  answer  is  very  simple.  There  is  not  a  department 
of  nature,  animal  or  vegetable  or  mineral,  that  is  not  in- 
delibly stamped  with  proof  of  its  progressive  advance,  and 
what  is  also  the  fact,  that  the  different  climates,  modes  of 
culture,  and  soil,  in  which  they  may  be  planted,  so  modify, 
so  change  the  original  nature  of  the  vegetable,  that  when 
a  vegetable  indigenous  to  India  is  transplanted  to  Canada — 
if  you  can  make  it  live  in  another  climate — in  the  course 
of  a  few  years  it  assumes  distinguishing  characteristics 
that  entirely  divest  it  of  any  semblances  to  its  former  ap- 
pearance and  attributes.  So  with  the  animal,  whether  you 
take  the  fox,  or  go  from  the  fox  to  man.  The  farther  you 
go  north,  the  more  do  these  animals,  corresponding  to  the 
same  genera  or  species  in  warm  climates,  change  their  ex- 
ternal features  so  as  scarcely  to  be  recognized. 

Again,  the  question  is  suggested  to  your  minds.  Why  is 
this  so?  I  answer,  that  to  the  inquiring  mind,  to  the 
searcher  after  truth,  it  was  this  display,  these  evidences  of 


SPIEITTTALISM.  466 

external  progress  in  material  things,  that  was  the  hand-book 
in  which  might  be  read  the  same  condition  of  things  exist- 
ing beyond  this  world. 

The  question,  too,  is  asked.  How  far  back  into  the  years 
which  have  passed  since  the  earth  was  fit  for  man's  abode 
shall  we  go  for  the  first  evidences  of  man's  existence  ?  at 
what  period  of  time  did  man  first  stand  on  this  earth,  so 
much  in  advance  of  all  created  things,  and  so  much  more 
omnipotent  than  any  other  animal  by  the  possession  of  a 
living  soul  ?  If  we  plunge  into  earth's  center  and  raise 
the  deepest  strata  there  buried  to  the  surface,  we  find  the 
time  is  not  indicated  there.  Descend  ocean's  depths,  and 
its  dark  bosom  gives  back  no  answer  to  the  inquiry  we 
make.  Ascend  the  highest  mountain,  the  evidences  there 
are  still  barren  of  answer.  Go  where  we  will,  seek  whete 
we  will,  we  can  not  tell  at  what  period  of  time  man  made 
his  first  appearance  on  earth. 

To  the  really  shrewd  and  analytical  mind — one  that 
searches,  investigates,  and  compares,  man,  boasting  and 
boasted  man,  he  who  claims  to  rule  the  earth  by  the  pow- 
er of  his  mind  and  his  affinity  with  God  by  the  connection 
of  his  spirit,  would  seem,  by  the  variety  of  properties 
which  he  manifests,  the  similarity  of  attributes  and  pas- 
sions which  he  indicates,  to  have  been  the  joint  product  of 
the  aggregate  development  of  every  animal  that  lives  and 
breathes  on  earth;  for  in  the  vast  and  multiplied  demon- 
strations of  his  mind,  in  his  anger,  his  revenge,  his  lusts, 
and  desires ;  his  cunning,  his  ingenuity,  his  boldness,  and 
courage ;  his  craftiness  and  hypocrisy ;  in  his  affections 
and  his  jealousies";  in  his  envy  and  his  pride,  he  assuredly 
gives  evident  token  that  he  has  something  of  almost  every 
animal  in  his  combination  that  lives  and  dies  on  earth. 

^•>>'      OP  TFm 


4:56  SPIBITTTALISM. 


tcikn  5i^tg-ont. 


West  Roxbury,  Aug.  22,  1854. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  circle  this  day,  through  the  Doctor  it  was  said, 
as  from  Lord  Bacon : 

Whether  it  can  be  proved  to  a  positive  demonstration 
that  man  was  the  product  of  this  progressive  principle, 
existing  everywhere  in  nature,  I  know  not.  What  spirit 
ranging  now  either  through  bright  and  beautiful  fields  of 
the  holy  spheres  or  the  dark  and  gloomy  habitations  of 
the  evil,  can  point  to  that  time  in  the  history  of  the  world's 
progress  when  man,  as  the  result  of  these  inherent  innate 
powers,  sprang  forth  like  a  flower  opening  his  attributes — '■ 
his  mind — to  the  reception  of  truth,  and  appropriating 
those  powers  to  the  government  of  animals  and  matter 
around  him  ? 

Certain  it  is,  that  as  in  the  logic  of  the  schools  of  my 
day  and  of  the  present  day,  the  argument  by  analogy  was 
considered  the  most  perfect  and  conclusive,  so,  as  we  can 
not  by  positive  proof  show  the  time  or  the  progress  of 
man's  development,  we  have  the  right  to  rest  our  argument 
on  the  analogies  which  bear  so  forcibly  and  which  con- 
nect so  powerfully  every  event  in  the  chain  of  circumstan- 
ces, from  creation's  first  manifestations  to  the  present  hour. 

I  reverted  yesterday  to  the  idea,  that  if  all  the  intentions 
and  designs  of  God  had  been  accomplished,  perfected,  fin- 
nished,  man,  instead  of  evidencing  his  connection  with 
God  and  the  powers  and  attributes  which  characterize  him 
through  his  works,  would  have  made  no  more  advance  in 
the  scale  of  existence  than  has  or  does  any  animal  around 
him.     Suppose  the  work  was  accomplished,  was  done — 


SPIRITUALISM.  467 

that  nature  had  yielded  her  fruit  and  the  ripened  seed  was 
dropping  to  the  ground — what  then  ?  Was  there  a  new 
existence  to  spring  up  ?  Were  there  new  properties  and 
powers  to  be  developed  ?  Were  there  new  organizations 
to  be  created  ?  No,  the  work  was  ended,  and  every  time  the 
principle  had  accomplished  its  object  the  end  had  come  ! 

Kow  let  your  minds  contemplate  the  effect  this  would 
have  produced  on  man's  physical,  material,  mental,  moral, 
civil,  and  political  advance,  l^atnre  having  finished  her 
labors,  came  trembling  and  faltering,  shriveled  and  de- 
crepit as  an  old  man  to  the  grave.  'No  young  life  bearing 
up  within  itself,  and  creating  new  existences  as  the  old 
ones  passed  away.  'No  spring-time,  with  its  budding  leaves 
and  blossoming  flowers,  but  existence  had  passed  over  the 
earth,  and  wherever  its  footsteps  trod,  death  marked  its 
pi'ogress.  No  !  man  then  would  have  lived  in  caves  and 
clefts  of  the  rock.  The  work  was  done.  What  chance  was 
there  for  progress  ?  What  chance  that  the  Godlike  attri- 
butes of  his  mind  should  have  stamped  their  image  even 
on  creation's  progress  itself?  Dwelt  in  caves  and  clefts 
of  the  rocks  ?  Ay !  he  would  have  been  the  companion, 
the  associate,  by  the  properties  he  would  have  developed, 
of  the  very  beasts  who  had  their  habitations  in  the  same 
places  with  him.  jN'o  proud  temple  would  have  reared  its 
towers  to  heaven.  !N"o  broad  and  beautiful  fields  would 
have  blossomed  with  his  handiwork.  IsTo  ships  would 
have  crossed  the  ocean.  ITo  railroads  would  have  spanned 
your  earth.  No  paintings,  the  evidences  of  the  Godlike 
capacities  of  man's  mind,  would  have  imaged  forth  the  in- 
ventive and  conceptive  beauties  of  his  mind.  No  machines 
would  have  been  invented  to  lessen  the  labor  of  his  hands.. 
No  government  would  have  been  instituted.  No  sciences 
would  have  originated.  Earth  and  men  would  have  grown 
old  the  moment  they  were  born. 

Think  you  that  the  germs  which  are  reflected  from  the 
great  principle,  the  Father  of  us  all,  when  sent  to  earth  to 
mingle  there  with  the  bodies  of  men,  would  not  have  re- 


458  SPIRITUALISM. 

turned  to  him  who  sent  them,  and  said  to  him,  "Father  1 
thy  work  is  ended  there,  what  need  of  us  ?" 

Stand  ye  here  on  this  high  mount  and  look  back  on  the 
picture  I  have  drawn.  Each  morning  sun  would  have 
arisen  later ;  the  evening  shades  would  have  grown  dark- 
er ;  the  decaying  forest ;  the  crumbling  mountains ;  the 
rivers  shortened  in  their  course,  and  lessened  in  depth ; 
the  ocean  contracting  its  vast  waters ;  the  sun  shorn  of  its 
brightness,  and  the  moon  casting  no  reflection ;  the  stars 
refusing  to  twinkle  their  light;  where  once  the  rose-tree 
blossomed,  yielding  no  more  flowers  forever ;  where  earth 
had  once  yielded  her  treasures  of  grain  and  corn,  no  seed 
germinating  in  its  barren  womb  again.  Man,  earth,  beasts, 
creation — all  would  have  given  but  one  dim  flash  of  its 
Creator's  power,  and  then  shrank  back  into  the  constituents 
of  which  they  had  been  fashioned. 

Look  you  again  at  the  picture.  Springing  into  life  as 
the  race-horse,  who  springs  forward  to  reach  the  goal  be- 
fore him,  every  advance  toward  that  end  but  increases  his 
power  and  his  speed. 

So  with  creation.  JSTo  spear  of  grass  waved  by  the  way- 
side but  felt  the  necessity  of  companionship.  No  tree  that 
sprung  up  but  bore  within  itself  the  power  to  germinate  its 
kind.  No  flower  opened  its  petals  to  the  breeze  but  drop- 
ped its  seeds,  and  there  sprung  up  its  brother  and  its  sis- 
ter. The  birds  which  kissed  its  blushing  leaves  bore  to 
other  localities  the  seeds  which  they  stole  in  that  embrace, 
and  dropped  them,  there  to  germinate,  to  grow,  and  to 
blossom  into  beauty  and  grace.  No  ray  from  the  bright 
god  of  day  fell  on  the  earth  but  what  it  nourished  into  life 
a  thousand  forms,  a  thousand  new  germinations.  Each  day 
the  sun  rose  brighter  and  brighter,  for  each  day  developed 
new  creations,  new  existences.  Not  a  drop  of  rain  that  fell 
on  earth's  surface  but  infused  this  principle  throughout  its 
very  depths. 

Through  me,  and  from  the  spirit  of  Washington,  it  was  then  said : 
There  is  no  perversion  more  firmly  seated  in  the  minds 


SPIBITTJALISM.  4:69 

of  my  countrymen — none  more  injurious — none  that  is  cal- 
culated to  be  more  lasting  in  its  effects,  than  that  which 
attaches  to  the  purposes  of  government  the  idea  of  aug- 
menting wealth  alone,  or,  in  other  words,  that  the  chief  end 
of  government  is  to  increase  the  wealth  of  the  community. 

Appealing,  as  that  idea  does,  to  the  selfish  propensities 
of  the  human  heart,  binding  man  in  subjection  by  the 
cords  of  corruption,  it  has  been  cherished,  fostel-ed,  and 
propagated  by  those  who,  clothed  with  power,  have  ever 
cared  to  exercise  it  rather  for  themselves  than  others ;  and 
it  has  been  the  chief  instrument  of  maintaining  the  fatal 
fabric  of  absolutism  in  all  ages  of  the  world.  It  has  been 
most  effective  in  enthralling  man,  and  binding  him  in  sub- 
mission to  the  domination  of  his  fellows. 

Throw  your  mind  back  on  the  history  of  the  past,  and  be- 
hold how  frequent  and  successful  has  been  the  appeal  of 
power,  on  the  part  of  the  governors,  to  the  cupidity  of  the 
governed.  It  has  laid  at  the  foundation  of  all  tyranny; 
has  characterized  the  structures  which  absolutism  has 
raised,  and  has  ever  stood  in  the  way  of  the  progress  of 
true  freedom.  And  even  when  freedom  has  leaped  the  foul 
barrier  and  moved  abroad  among  men  with  cheering  hope, 
it  has  often  been  arrested  in  its  progress  and  turned  aside 
from  its  high  and  holy  purposes  by  this  same  appeal.  It 
has  been  with  anxious  solicitation  that  in  all  countries  and 
in  all  times  the  apologists  for  arbitrary  power  have  incul- 
cated this  principle  as  most  vital,  and  as  the  end  and  aim 
of  government. 

It  is  not  alone  amid  the  shadows  of  absolutism  that  it  has 
found  its  home ;  it  has  stolen  into  the  temple  of  Freedom 
and  taken  up  its  abiding-place  even  in  the  presence  of 
its  holy  altar,  mingling  its  selfish  aspirations  with  the 
prayer  for  liberty  that  would  otherwise  have  ascended  un- 
tainted— mixing  its  polluted  breath  with  the  incense  that 
would  otherwise  have  arisen  in  grateful  perfume,  and  unit- 
ing its  discordant  cry  with  the  cheering  song  of  liberty 
among  men. 


460  SPIRITUALISM. 

Its  deformity  hidden  bj  the  disguise  which  man's  per- 
verted vision  has  rendered  practicable,  it  has  too  often 
been  welcomed  as  a  fitting  guest  in  the  mansion  of  Free- 
dom, and  been  warmed  into  life  by  its  fires,  until  it  has 
been  able  to  strike  in  its  fangs  and  diffuse  its  poison  on  all 
around. 

Unable,  openly,  to  withstand  the  onward  march  of  free- 
dom which  has  sprung  from  man's  progressive  advance- 
ment, it  has  "stolen  the  livery  of  Heaven"  to  serve  the 
purposes  of  evil,  and  covertly  worked  its  way  and  infused 
its  poison  until  the  bloated  and  corrupted  mass  of  human- 
ity has  yielded  to  its  silent  inroads,  even  while  boasting  of 
its  victory  over  its  open  attacks.  Stealthily,  silently,  yet 
with  the  tenacity  of  death,  it  has  wound  its  way  into  the 
very  body  of  Freedom,  substituting  the  convulsions  of  dis- 
ease for  natural  action,  the  hectic  of  consumption  for  the 
glow  of  health,  the  appearance  of  prosperity  for  its  reality. 

Such  have  been  its  inroads  in  my  country ;  and  as  time 
has  rolled  on,  casting  around  her  institutions  the  protecting 
embrace  of  power  and  permanency,  the  invasion  of  this 
principle  has  been  silent,  though  sure,  until  many,  very 
many,  unmindful  of  the  great  lesson  inculcated  by  our 
Revolution ;  with  thoughts  directed  only  to  the  accumu- 
lation of  wealth ;  with  energies  bent  only  to  the  increase 
of  temporal  prosperity,  have  taught  themselves  to  look 
upon  all  government  as  having  one  legitimate  object  alone, 
that  of  increasing  individual,  material  wealth.  Hence  it 
is  that  there  has  been  so  great  a  departure  from  the  prin- 
ciples which  swayed  the  minds  of  the  fathers  of  our  nation, 
and  a  substitution  in  its  place  of  the  corrupting  and  de- 
basing principles  of  action  which  distinguish  absolutism 
everywhere,  and  which  cast  their  taint  even  upon  our  in- 
stitutions professing  to  be  free. 

Do  you  ask,  why  I  dwell  with  so  mournful  a  tone  upon 
this  sad  picture  ?  Why  my  mind  broods  over  the  future, 
which  it  shadows  forth  ?  It  is  that  we  may  try,  ere  it  be 
too  late,  to  restore  the  virtue  of  the  past  in  the  place  of  the 


SPIRITUALISM.  461 

corruptions  of  the  present ;  bring  back  our  government  to 
its  original  purpose,  and  once  again  impress  on  the  minds 
of  the  people  the  legitimate  and  proper  object  of  govern- 
ment, that  in  the  exercise  of  their  rights  as  freemen  they 
may  be  swayed  by  purity  of  principle,  rather  than  the 
cravings  of  cupidity. 

Oh !  could  my  countrymen  descend  with  me  into  the 
hearts  that  are  petrified  by  the  exercise  of  unlimited  pow- 
er either  on  earth  or  in  the  spheres — could  they  with  me 
penetrate  the  deepest  recesses  of  the  minds  which  sway 
such  power,  they  would  start  affrighted  at  the  advances, 
however  disguised  or  covered  they  might  be,  of  the  feeling 
which  is  engendered.  Oh  !  could  they  penetrate  into  those 
darker  spheres  where,  in  unprogressed  man,  vice  is  ever 
festering,  and  where  the-  dark  clouds  of  selfishness,  of  cru- 
elty, and  of  intolerance  are  brooding  over  the  unhappy 
scene ;  where  the  love  of  self  swallows  up  all  regard  for 
the  future,  all  remorse  for  the  past,  all  reverence  for  God 
and  all  aspirations  for  purity,  they  would  find  the  birth- 
place and  the  home  of  the  principle  whose  inroads  they 
have  perniitted  among  themselves. 

Could  they  ascend  with  me  into  the  brighter  spheres, 
where  love,  and  purity,  and  happiness  shed  their  mellow 
light  oyer  each  heart,  and  send  their  gentle  tones  of  sweet- 
est harmony  upon  each  ear ;  where  man's  progressive  ad- 
vance toward  high  heaven  is  the  daily  object  of  desire  and 
of  view,  they  would  behold  that  that  principle  has  no 
abiding-place  there,  but  is  banished  those  happy  realms. 
O !  could  they  thus  range  through  the  spheres  and  o'er 
earth,  and  thus  behold  beneath  the  deceptive  surface  the 
reality  that  is  working  among  men,  they  would  become 
conscious,  as  we  are,  that  it  is  time  to  sound  the  alarm, 
that  it  is  time  to  marshal  the  forces  for  the  conflict ;  for  on 
its  event  must  depend  the  great  question  whether  freedom 
shall  continue  to  inhabit  with  us  or  take  her  flight  to  re- 
gions more  congenial ;  they  would  feel  how  imperative  is 
the  duty  upon  every  one  to  arrest  the  progress  of  a  princi- 


41^  SPIRITUALISM. 

pie  which  is  sapping  our  national  freedom  to  its  founda- 
*  tion,  and  assimilating  our  institutions  and  our  fate  to  those 
which  we  have  been  taught  to  abhor,  and  which  we  so 
loudly  profess  to  avoid. 

Remember  ever  the  great  lesson  which  you  are  taught 
by  your  intercourse  with  the  spirits  of  the  departed — 
so  different  from  that  which  human  teaching  has  so  long 
infused  into  your  minds — namely,  that  life  in  the  spirit- 
world  is  but  a  continuation  of  life  upon  earth,  and  that  the- 
legitimate  object  of  the  one  is  but  to  prepare  for  the  other ; 
that  time — your  time  on  earth — is  but  a  stepping-stone  to 
^  an  eternity  in  the  spheres  ;  that  the  bias  and  direction  of 

the  mind,  and  the  affections  which  obtain  on  earth,  make 
their  impress  upon  your  existence  after  you  have  left  it ; 
that  the  perversions  and  misdirections  which  you  imbibe 
during  your  primary  existence  affect  and  direct  your  life 
after  it;  that  the  truths  which  are  planted  in  the  soul 
while  it  inhabits  its  tenement  of  clay  accompany  and  cheer 
it  on  its  way  through  the  long  ages  of  eternity ;  that  there 
is  now  dawning  upon  the  earth  a  light  which  can  not  only 
dispel  the  darkness  which  surrounds  you,  but  can  open  to 
your  view  the  life  after  death,  its  impulses,  its  duties,  and 
its  destiny  ;  that  you  are  receiving  instruction  and  knowl- 
edge from  those  who  have  penetrated  the  future  beyond 
the  grave,  and  who  are  now  permitted,  in  the  providence 
of  God,  to  return  and  teach  to  you  the  great  lessons  which 
are  opened  to  them  through  the  portals  of  eternity ;  that 
standing  amid  the  brightness  of  His  wisdom  and  the  soft- 
ening influences  of  His. love,  receiving,  as  they  become 
more  perfect,  the  brighter  and  better  lessons  which  flow 
from  the  storehouse  of  his  Almighty  mind,  they  are  per- 
mitted to  open  to  your  view  the  pages  on  which  they  read 
these  high  and  holy  lessons,  and  are  rendered  capable  of 
advancing  you  in  virtue,  in  wisdom,  and  in  happiness,  and 
that,  by  unfolding  to  you  the  knowledge  which  experience 
in  spirit-life  bestows  upon  them,  they  can  advance  you 
too,  upward  and  onward  in  your  high  destiny — can  aid 


•  SPIRITUALISM.  463 

you  to  cast  off  the  perversions  and  errors  of  life,  and  even 
npon  your  earth  assimilate  your  condition  to  that  of  the 
spheres. 

And  know,  that  as  in  the  form  of  your  government  you 
have  imitated  the  work  of  His  hand,  as  displayed  among 
the  worlds  that  sparkle  in  the  heavens  above  you ;  as  you 
have  thus  learned  in  form  to  imitate  the  creations  of  His 
wisdom,  so  you  may  be  taught  to  progress  still  further, 
and  learn  to  infuse  into  that  government — thus  in  form 
assimilating  to  your  planetary  system  the  order,  the  regu- 
larity, the  wisdom,  and  the  love  which  bind  these  systems 
together  as  one  harmonious  whole,  and  maintain  them, 
ever  moving  in  dumb  yet  joyful  obedience  to  His  com- 
mands, so  that  you  too  may  move  on  in  your  enduring 
orbits,  progressing  ever  onward,  developing  ever  the  great 
properties  which  slumber  within  you,  unknown  even  to 
yourselves,  and  diffusing  abroad  in  the  universe  through 
which  you  move  the  blessings  of  your  obedience  to  His 
laws,  and  of  your  advance  in  His  love  and  wisdom. 


West  Roxbury,  Aug.  23,  1854. 


And  if  this  was  the  influence  upon  inanimate  nature, 
how  much  greater  must  be  its  influence  upon  man  him- 
self; for  it  is  a  law  that  when  man  has  devised  and  orig- 
inated any  particular  thought  or  invention,  and  has  suc- 
cessfully achieved  the  result  he  had  in  view  in  its  con- 
struction, it  increases  his  desire  and  his  power  to  invent 


464  SPIEITUALISM.    ' 

and  contrive  other  and  more  advanced  thoughts  and  in- 
ventions. Thus,  as  in  creation's  development  and  pro- 
gress, the  manifestation  of  this  principle  reveals  the  spirit 
which  controls  it,  so  in  the  advance  and  progression  of 
man  every  step  exhibited  the  pure  power,  the  energy,  the 
capacity  of  his  spirit  that  wa^  born  of  God.  And  here 
is  the  separate  and  distinct  manifestation  of  one  cause  op- 
erating upon  and  controlling  man  and  matter ;  and  it  shows, 
too,  the  independent,  individual  powers  of  that  spirit  which 
impelled  man  to  act  separately  and  independently.  E'ow 
when  we  recur  to  the  past,  we  are  struck  with  many  of  the 
great  incidents  of  time,  that  seem  to  show  us  that  this  law, 
this  principle,  T^as  interrupted  in  its  proper  and  direct  ap- 
plication and  effect,  for  here  sprung  up  a  nation  whose 
people,  whose  laws,  whose  government,  whose  arts  and 
sciences,  whose  commerce  and  mechanics  showed  the  force 
of  this  mighty  inherent  impulse,  and  yet  standing  as  the 
very  landmarks  of  what  this  principle  could  do — they 
sparkled  and  flashed  for  a  time,  and  then  went  out  and 
left  a  darkness  more  profound  than  before.  The  traveler, 
as  he  passes  over  that  country  once  blossoming  in  every 
part  like  a  garden,  once  exhibiting  the  care  and  the  prov- 
idence which  ruled  it  in  its  roads,  its  aqueducts,  its  canals, 
its  walls,  and  its  various  cities,  looks  in  vain  now  for  any 
evidences  of  the  power,  the  wealth,  and  the  wisdom  that 
once  distinguished  it.  TVhere  the  fig-tree  blossomed  and 
gave  forth  its  fruit ;  w^here  the  clustering  grape  showed  the 
evidences  of  knowledge  and  of  taste ;  where  the  beautiful 
grove  sheltered  in  its  shade  the  tasteful  residence  of  some 
rich'  man ;  where  the  stately  barge  was  lashed  at  the  mole 
or  pier ;  where  the  waving  fields  of  grain  showed  the  in- 
dustry and  care  of  man ;  where  the  proud  tempie  lifted  up 
its  towers  to  heaven  in  capacity  and  splendid  grandeur, 
surpassing  that  of  any  modern  creation ;  where  the  teem- 
ing thousands  mingled  together  in  the  daily  avocations 
which  belonged  to  their  life,  is  now  desolation  and  soli- 
tude.    Where  now  are  their  roads  and  canals  ?    Where  the 


SPIRITUALISM.  465 

waving  fields  of  grain  ?  Where  the  home  of  the  peasant, 
or  the  palace  of  his  employer  ?  Where  the  cities,  the  ves- 
sels, and  the  millions  of  men,  women,  and  children  who 
peopled  and  directed  them  ? 

The  desolate  temple  is  made  the  den  of  the  lion  or  the 
tiger,  and  the  courts  of  their  places  of  worship  are  tracked 
with  the  slimy  trail  of  the  hissing  serpent.  Solitude  and 
desolation  are  stamped  on  the  face  of  every  thing  which 
meets  the  view.  The  dark  and  silent  Avaters  of  some  sea 
or  lake  cover,  like  a  shining  mantle,  the  spot  where  erst 
there  flourished  a  nation,  and  its  bitter  waters  bring  back 
to  the  mind  the  recollection  of  those  causes  which  we  have 
presumed  swept  them  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  But  is 
this  an  evidence  that  the  world  has  retrograded  ?  No  ! 
no  !  for  what  has  been  lost  in  one  locality  has  been  a 
thousand  times  more  developed  in  another.  What  are  a 
few  spots  on  the  surface  of  the  other  continent,  from  which 
have  been  swept  away  nations  and  cities  ?  Is  there  less 
of  man,  of  cities,  of  nations,  of  wealth,  of  power,  of  com- 
toeree,  of  arts  and  sciences,  of  inventions  and  contrivances,, 
of  that  which  adds  to  the  benefit  and  happiness  of  man, 
of  that  which  controls  nature  in  her  manifestations,  of  that 
which  enables  man  to  act  even  here  as  the  instrument  in 
the  development  and  the  legitimate  application  of  those 
laws  which  God  has  established,  and  in  the  development 
of  his  own  nature  and  power,  in  his  capacity  to  act  as 
God's  vicegerent  upon  earth ;  in  the  certain,  unalterable, 
undeviating  progress  which  he  makes  to  accomplish  his 
destiny  here  ?  But  what  if  nations  have  been  lost  in  time, 
and  their  works  annihilated?  The  winter's  ocean,  with 
its  storms  and  waves,  has  not  obstructed  man  in  his  passage 
to  a  world  lying  in  eternal  silence,  and  solitude,  too,  and 
from  the  depths  of  its  vast  forests  to  develop  power,  might,, 
magnificence,  and  real  glory  that  have  astonished  the  world. 

Then  through  me  it  was  said  : 

I  am  beholding  the  internal  organization  of  a  commu-^ 

30 


4:G6  SPIRITUALISM. 

nity  in  the  spirit-world.  I  am  beholding  the  locality  which 
they  occupy,  and  it  is  a  place  as  much  as  any  we  occupy  on 
earth,  having  all  the  material  surroundings  which  we  have 
here,  with  its  mountains,  fields,  and  vegetation,  with  its 
animals  and  its  residences.  It  seems  in  many  respects  like 
an  earthly  scene,  yet  with  additions,  new  appliances,  and 
attributes  necessary  to  and  flowing  from  a  superior  refine- 
ment and  development  of  matter.  Thus,  I  observe,  that 
some  of  this  matter  is  transparent ;  so,  too,  I  see  that  lo- 
comotion is  sometimes  by  the  use  of  the  limbs  as  with  us, 
sometimes  by  floating  slowly  through  the  air,  and  at  others 
by  darting  with  lightning  speed  from  place  to  place.  So  I 
see  what  seem  to  be  clouds,  having  the  form  and  shape  of 
those  we  behold  in  our  atmosphere,  but  which  are  in  fact 
aggregations  or  banks  of  light.  So,  too,  I  perceive  that 
the  light  resting  upon  the  scene,  varying  in  hue  and  inten- 
sity in  different  places,  is  not  an  emanation  from  a  material 
ball  like  our  sun,  but  is  produce'd,  self-generated  by  every 
inhabitant  of  that  locality — the  hue  of  the  light  which 
is  emitted  from  each  one  varying  according  to  the  pre- 
dominant feeling  or  propensity  of  each  individual,  and 
commingling  with  that  of  others,  produces  an  endless  va- 
riety and  ever-changing  colors.  So,  too,  I  perceive  novel- 
ties to  me  hitherto  unseen,  and  unimagined  existences  in 
man,  in  animals,  and  in  inanimate  matter.  Thus  I  see  cor- 
uscations of  light  unlike  any  thing  we  witness  here,  too 
brilliant  and  intense,  and  too  delicate  and  refined  to  be 
perceptible  to  the  mortal  senses ;  and  I  behold  in  inani- 
mate matter  many  things  which  I  can  not  stop  to  describe, 
which  are  unlike  any  thing  ever  beheld  on  earth,  and 
which  I  am  told  are  created  for  the  purpose  of  contributing 
to  the  happiness  and  enjoyment  of  the  sentient  beings 
around.  The  air,  the  water,  the  earth,  the  living,  moving 
beings  have  all  of  them  attributes  and  properties  unknown 
to  us  on  earth,  but  which  seem  to  be  necessary  to  and 
commensurate  with  a  more  refined  and  elevated  state  of 
existence. 


SPIRITUALISM.  467 

I  give  a  sketch  thus  general  of  what  is  before  me,  be- 
cause I  am  so  situated  that  I  have  a  bird's-eye  view  of  this 
whole  community  and  its  surroundings,  and  I  am  told  by 
the  guiding  spirit*  who  stands  by  my  side,  thus  to  beholc^ 
as  a  whole,  and  not  to  permit  my  attention  to  be  drawn  to 
individual  or  isolated  things. 

He  says  to  me,  "  Can  you  convey  to  mortal  minds  a  just 
conception  of  that  which  you  behold  here,  and  especially 
that  which  you  on  earth  call  space  and  distance?  You 
measure  that  on  earth  by  a  standard  peculiar  to  your  con- 
dition there,  and  you  can  readily  perceive  by  what  a  dif- 
ferent standard  you  must  measure  it  here.  Thus,  for  in- 
stance, you  perceive  those  buildings  stand  apart  from  each 
othel*,  you  would  say,  by  your  earthly  standard,  a  few  rods 
apart.  Can  you  conceive  or  describe  how  far  apart  meas- 
ured by  our  standard?  To  make  yourself  understood, 
speak,  then,  the  language  and  use  terms  and  phrases  with 
which  you  are  familiar.  It  will  be  enough  to  convey  your 
ideas,  and  leave  the  reality  to  be  appreciated  by  you  when 
you  arrive  here  and  find  yourself  sufficiently  elevated  to 
comprehend  the  new  state  of  things  to  which  you  will  be 
introduced." 

This  spirit  further  says:  "I  see  you  are  asking  in  your 
mind,  why  have  buildings  here,  houses  and  residences, 
where  there  seem  to  be  none  of  those  atmospheric  changes 
which  render  them  necessary  on  earth  ?  Let  me  ask  you 
in  reply,  do  your  mansions  contribute  to  your  happiness 
and  enjoyment  only  by  protecting  you  from  the  changes 
of  your  earthly  atmosphere  ?  Why  is  it,  when  the  air  is 
balmy  and  pleasant,  and  you  require  no  roof  to  cover  you 
from  its  influence — why,  in  the  pleasant  twilight  of  your 
day,  or  in  the  soft  moonlight  of  your  night — why,  when 
the  temperature  is  just  at  that  standard  when  it  is  most 
grateful  to  you,  do  you  still  cluster  together  in  your  man- 
sions, and  form  a  happy  group  around  your  hearth-stone, 

•  I  afterward  learned  this  was  Howard,  the  philanthropist. 


468  SPIRITUALISM. 

rather  than  wander  away  alone,  enjoying  the  nature  that 
surrounds  you  ?  It  is  because  in  the  idea  of  home  and  its 
associations  there  is  something  pleasant  to  the  human 
heart.  That  pleasure  lives  with  ua  in  the  spheres,  and  is 
not  dropped  with  that  outer  garment  which  required  pro- 
tection from  the  weather.  During  the  intensity  of  sultry 
heat,  during  the  peltings  of  the  storm,  amid  the  icy  chills 
of  the  northern  blasts,  your  material  bodies  might  demand 
the  protection  of  a  house ;  and  if  that  was  all  there  was 
about  a  house,  or  its  uses  or  advantages,  you  might  well 
ask,  why  have  houses  in  the  spheres  ?  But  as  those  mo- 
ments when  the  house  is  a  protection  for  the  material  body 
are  but  few  in  coipparison  with  the  period  of  time  during 
which  you  are  otherwise  enjoying  your  homes,  so  it  can 
not  be  difficult  for  you  to  conceive  that  a  mansion  can 
contribute  something  more  to  man's  happiness  than  merely 
shielding  him  from  the  weather.  Turn  your  mind  back 
some  forty  years  in  your  material  life,  and  see  how  much 
happiness  you  derived  from  the  recollection  of  the  happy 
hours  you  spent  in  your  father's  house,  see  what  memories 
cluster  around  you,  and  how  effectively  they  can  protect 
you  at  this  moment  even,  from  the  corrodings  of  present 
cares  and  anxieties.  Step  across  the  grave,  and  think  you 
that  these  memories  die  and  are  lost  to  you  ?  And  do  you 
not  perceive  that  in  those  memories  is  involved  a  source 
of  happiness  connected  with  your  earthly  home  that  is 
something  more  than  its  mere  protection  from  the  v/eather? 
Turn  your  mind  back,  he  says,  to  some  of  the  scenes  which 
you  have  yourself  witnessed  in  the  spirit-land :  why  did 
the  hunter  and  his  Indian  companion  erect  their  log-cabin 
under  that  grateful  shade,  nestling  near  that  over-hanging 
rock,  by  the  side  of  that  bubbling  spring,  and  in  view  of 
that  dense  forest?  It  was  because  it  recalled  the  recollec- 
tion of  their  happy  home  on  earth.  And  be  it  ever  re- 
membered that  in  the  memory  is  your  heaven  or  your  hell. 
In  the  spheres,  as  on  earth,  the  rustling  of  the  leaves,  the 
dropping  of  the  water  over  the  little  fall,  the  footstep  of 


SPIRITUALISM.  469 

the  approaching  Indian,  were  in  themselves  comparatively 
nothing ;  but,  as  they  carried  the  memory  back  over  the 
vista  of  many  happy  years  that  had  passed,  they  filled  the 
heart  with  happiness,  and  brought  up  from  its  deepest 
depths,  feelings  of  gratitude  and  love  toward  Him  who 
had  permitted  and  toward  them  who  had  shared  that  hap- 
piness. Think  for  one  moment  how  entirely  the  nature, 
the  habits,  the  propensities,  the  deep-seated  feelings  of 
those  two  beings,  which  by  time  became  engrafted  on  their 
very  existence,  must  have  been  changed,  to  have  enabled 
them  to  have  found  happiness  in  any  other  form — that  hap- 
piness which  is  the  object  and  end  of  spirit-life. 

"As  on  earth,  so  in  the  spheres,  God  bestows  upon  man 
the  freedom  to  choose  his  own  path  to  happiness.  And  as 
no  two  beings  are  constituted  precisely  alike,  so  no  two 
find  their  happiness  in  precisely  the  same  objects  or  occu- 
pations. Yariety — infinite,  unbounded,  illimitable  as  space 
and  enduring  as  eternity — is  marked  upon  all  God's  works, 
and  is  overpowering  evidence  of  the  extent  of  his  might 
and  the  depth  of  his  wisdom.  And  that  variety  is  found, 
not  only  in  the  form  of  creation,  but  in  its  never-ceasing 
action  and  motion. 

"Proceed  yet  another  step  in  the  retrospection  of  your 
visits  here.  Why  the  beautiful  gardens,  the  fragrant  flow- 
ers, the  grateful  lights,  the  pleasing  variety  of  scenes  that 
were  spread  out  before  you  and  unfolded  to  your  view? 
That  they  might  contribute  to  man's  happiness,  and  by 
their  infinite  variety  afford  aliment  to  every  heart.  And 
pray  tell  me,  if  you  will  not  consent  to  this  form  of  exist- 
ence in  the  spirit-world,  in  what  shape  you  will  present  it  ? 
What  other  form  can  it  assume  that  can  in  any  way  con- 
nect it  with  your  life  on  earth  ? 

"  Why  was  the  mansion,  occupied  by  your  spirit-compan- 
ion here,  so  like  that  in  which  she  had  taken  her  departure 
from  your  earth  ?  Her  life  here  was  but  a  continuance  of 
that  which  had  began  with  you,  and  he  who  will  read  the 
human  heart    can   easily   appreciate   the   feelings   which 


4:70  SPIEITTJALISM. 

prompted  her  to  cluster  around  her  home  in  the  spirit- 
world  the  memories  which  had  formed  so  great  a  part  of 
her  previous  existence.  The  change  in  her  must  have  been 
marvelous,  and,  unlike  any  thing  we  know  of  in  nature, 
that  would  have  taken  away  from  her  the  pleasure  of  those 
memories,  and  even  the  statue  of  penitence  that  was  placed 
amid  that  shrubbery  pointed  to  the  past  and  to  the  future 
more  than  it  did  to  the  present,  for  the  reason  that  man 
from  his  very  nature — that  nature  which  is  divine  in  its 
origin  and  in  its  destiny,  and  which  elevates  him  above  the 
animal  creation — lives  and  enjoys  more  in  the  past  and  in 
the  future  than  in  the  present. 

"  So,  too,  in  your  travels  through  the  spirit-land,  in  one 
place  you  found  a  castle  tenanted  by  those  who  took  pleas- 
ure in  magnificence ;  near  it,  you  saw  the  humble  cot,  oc- 
cupied by  those  of  a  different  temperament,  who  found  hap- 
piness in  quiet  and  in  obscurity.  In  one  place  you  found 
a  mansion  surrounded  by  stately  trees,  because  its  inhab- 
itants found  pleasure  in  their  grateful  shades.  In  another, 
instead  of  trees,  you  saw  an  unshaded  garden,  filled  with 
flowers  and  shrubs,  and  the  thousand  things  that  go  to 
make  up  a  beautiful  parterre,  and  that  was  because  its 
proprietors  thus  enjoyed  themselves ;  you  found  one  man 
toiling  in  a  peculiar  task  for  the  purpose  of  elevating  his 
fellow-man  to  his  own  condition  of  happiness ;  you  be- 
held all  the  members  of  a  family  laboring  together  for  the 
good  of  a  whole  community.  These  things  were  so  because 
they  thus  found  their  happiness.  You  saw  evidences  of 
advance  in  the  arts  and  sciences ;  you  heard  music,  vocal 
and  instrumental ;  you  saw  teachers  engaged  in  giving  in- 
struction ;  you  saw  communities  engaged  in  consultation, 
because  in  all  these  things  they  found  their  happiness,  and 
that  variety  which  is  thus  stamped  on  all  God's  creations., 
Why !  you  saw  wild  animals  coursing  through  the  wood, 
and  birds  floating  in  the  air ;  you  heard  the  murmur  of  the 
running  brook  ;  you  beheld  the  spray  of  the  sparkling 
fountain.     ITay !  you  saw,  and  as  in  your  earthly  life  you 


SPIBITTTALISM.  471 

used,  the  gallant  horse,  because  in  those  things  happiness 
and  enjoyment  were  found.  And  while  in  these,  as  it  were, 
earthly  objects,  you  discovered  there  was  enjoyment  in 
the  spirit-land,  so,  too,  you  beheld  that  these  objects  were 
ever  lifting  the  heart  in  gratitude  to  the  bounteous  Giver 
of  all,  and  were  but  the  means  by  which  the  soul  was  ele- 
vated to  the  contemplation  of  scenes  and  existences  still 
higher,  still  more  elevated,  still  more  bright  and  beautiful, 
which  were  within  their  daily  view ;  and  amid  it  all,  from 
the  sea-shell  which  rattled  beneath  your  tread,  through  all 
nature,  animate  and  inanimate,  which  surrounded  you,  up 
to  the  bright  and  shining  worlds  flashing  in  the  far  "dis- 
tance, you  beheld  that  the  beatified  spirits  who  inhabited 
them  were  ever  learning  the  important  lesson  that  God  is 
over  all.  Boundless  in  his  love,  illimitable  in  his  wisdom, 
he  has  bestowed  upon  man  the  capacity  to  live  with  him 
forever,  and  has  endowed  him  with  the  ability  to  under- 
stand and  obey  the  law  by  which  that  existence  can  be 
made  happy ;  and  throughout  all  this  you  have  beheld  the 
demonstration  of  the  momentous  truth,  that  existence  in 
the  spheres  is  but  a  continuance  of  that  on  earth,  and  life 
on  earth  is  but  a  preparation  for  that  in  the  spheres. 

"In  giving  to  man  a  revelation  so  important  as  that  which 
embraces  a  knowledge  of  the  reality  of  the  life  into  which 
he  is  to  be  ushered,  the  spirits,  as  the  ministering  servants 
of  Infinite  Wisdom,  have  entered  upon  their  task  with  a  full 
knowledge  of  the  difficulties  which  attend  not  only  its  being 
given,  but  its  reception  by  man.  Conflicting,  as  that  real- 
ity does  with  the  crude,  vague,  and  fanciful  ideas  which 
have  so  long  obtained  in  men's  minds,  they  are  conscious 
how  much  error  is  to  be  unlearned  before  the  truth  can 
be  welcomed ;  and  they  are  aware  that  much  time  must 
elapse  before  the  mortal  mind  will  fully  receive  the  mo- 
mentous truth.  Intangible,  imperceptible  to  the  senses  on 
which  man  has  been  taught  to  rely  for  his  knowledge,  the 
difficulty  of  working  out  a  conviction  of  the  truth  has  not 
been   overlooked  by  them.     They  do   not  ask   that  this 


472  SPIRITUALISM. 

revelation  shall  be  received  as  authority,  but  they  appeal 
to  man's  reason;  they  ask  the  exercise  of  his  judgment; 
they  direct  your  minds  to  all  of  nature  that  is  around  you, 
and  they  bid  you  behold  how  consistent  this  revelation  is 
with  every  manifestation  of  nature  in  all  her  works  ;  and 
they  rejoice  that  it  is  not  through  the  lips  of  one  alone, 
but  of  many,  that  it  can  be  given.  They  have  approached 
their  task  with  a  realizing  sense  of  its  vast  importance  to 
man.  Ages  have  rolled  away  while  he  was  preparing  to 
receive  it.  Sparsely,  and  at  long  intervals,  has  divine 
truth  been  given  to  him — here  a  little  and  there  a  little — 
while  his  mental  capacity  has  been  growing  up  to  the 
ability  to  receive  it.  At  length  the  hour  has  come,  so  long 
anxiously  waited  for  b}^  spirits  in  the  spheres ;  and  now 
that  it  is  given,  many  a  heart,  while  it  is  lifted  up  in  thank- 
fulness to  God,  trembles  lest  man  in  his  darkness  may  yet 
once  again  reject  it. 

''  The  event  is  in  His  hands,  but  as  His  ministermg  angels 
do  we  toil.  We  may  plant  and  we  may  water,  but  it  is 
He  alone  who  can  give  the  increase.  To  Him  we  com- 
mend you,  and  the  divine  cause  in  which  you  are  engaged. 
And  to  Him  we  pray  that  in  His  fitting  time  he  may  be- 
stow on  weak,  faltering  man  the  capacity  to  receive  a  truth 
which  can  elevate  him  so  high  in  his  onward  progress  to 
the  Godhead,  and  so  prepare  him  for  the  mighty  destiny 
that  is  before  him." 


SPIRITUALISM.  its 


uiim  Siul^-tl^xtt 


West  Roxbury,  Aug.  24,  1854. 
At  the  circle  it  was  said,  through  Dr.  Dexter : 

And  what  are  the  effects  of  this  great  law  of  progress 
that  have  been  apparent  in  every  epoch,  in  every  race  of 
man  in  the  world's  history  ?  The  question  is  answered  on 
the  consideration  of  fact ;  for  this  is  true — that  which  is 
crude,  is  polished ;  that  which  is  the  germ  is  made  to  de- 
velop the  thing ;  that  which  is  imperfect  approaches  per- 
fection. And  it  matters  not  how  small  the  evidence  of 
progress  may  be  which  we  detect,  as  year  after  year  and 
age  after  age  passes  by,  if  there  has  been  but  one  step  for- 
ward either  in  man,  animals,  or  matter — one  evidence,  one 
proof  that  this  is  so,  that  which  we  have  taught  you  as 
truth  must  be  admitted,  must  be  recognized  to  be  so.  Look 
abroad,  compare  the  past  with  the  present — has  the  world 
deteriorated  ?  Has  man,  as  its  recognized  head,  lost  any 
of  the  high  capacities  and  powers  which  God  bestowed  on 
him  when  he  was  developed  into  being  here?  Say,  has  he 
lost  any  even  of  his  physical  .powers  ? 

Perhaps  that  may  seem  so  when  we  view  the  past  in 
one  aspect  alone.  But  as  it  is  the  effect  and  tendency  of 
this  law  to  refine,  to  sublimate,  to  perfect,  it  follows  that 
although  the  grosser  properties  of  matter  may  be  removed 
from  it,  it  does  not  take  away  its  legitimate  and  innate  vir- 
tues. Hence,  when  you  remove  from  one  locality  its  ab- 
origines to  another  country,  they  may  die,  or  may  contract 
disease  which  debilitates  their  physical  powers,  but  the 
amalgamation  with  the  inhabitants  they  find  there,  devel- 
ops a  race  of  beings  whose  mental  attributes  and  proper- 


474  SPIRITUALISM. 

ties  are  infinitely  superior  to  those  which  characterized 
either.  For  they  can  invent,  and  contrive,  and  execute ; 
they  can  bring  around  them  the  means,  the  properties,  and 
the  powers  of  material  things,  and  so  combine  them,  so 
arrange  them,  that  they  become  the  very  appliances  which 
enable  them  to  begin  and  finish  plans  and  purposes  which 
would,  from  their  vastness  and  their  legitimate  goodness, 
overwhelm  their  progenitors  on  either  side  with  astonish- 
ment and  wonder. 

ISTow,  say  I,  when  you  realize  this  fact,  you  can  under- 
stand that  though  it  might  be  true  that  the  physical  devel- 
opment as  to  size  and  muscular  strength  of  man  may  be 
less  at  the  present  day  than  that  of  men  living  five  hun- 
dred years  ago,  yet  to-day  he  possesses  the  ability  to  con- 
trive and  execute  works  and  objects  that  it  would  have 
been  impossible  for  man  to  have  conceived  at  that  time, 
much  less  to  have  executed. 

To-day,  man,  by  the  force  and  power  of  his  genius  and 
his  inventions,  has  rendered  it  unnecessary  that  he  should 
display  the  vast  amount  of  physical  strength  which  was 
required  to  execute  the  commonest  necessities  of  life  in 
ages  that  are  past.  The  fruits  of  his  mind  stand  as  evi- 
dences of  this  truth ;  for  what  was  the  labor  of  thousands 
of  hands,  and  could  scarcely  be  accomplished  then,  that 
which  required  years  to  perform,  is  now  the  mere  play  work 
of  a  simple  machine,  with  a  boy  or  a  girl  to  manage  it. 
Talk  of  the  Pyramids  of  Egypt !  Could  we  have  but  wit- 
nessed the  length  of  time  it  required  to  build  them,  the 
immense  and  almost  incalculable  number  of  men  who 
were  coerced  to  labor  there,  the  sacrifice  of  life,  the  vast 
amount  of  treasure  expended,  and  compare  those  vast, 
those  truly  great  and  enduring  monuments  of  the  olden 
time  with  one  invention  of  man's  mind  at  the  present  day, 
we  are  overwhelmed  with  the  ideas  that  the  comparison 
suggests.  Compare  the  Pyramids  with  the  locomotive  en- 
gine of  the  present  day,  and  then  ask  the  candid  mind  if 
that  engine  is  an  evidence  of  man's  retrogression  ?    Stand- 


SPIEITUALISM.  475 

ing  solitary  and  alone,  the  Pyramids — these  vast  mementoes 
of  man's  power  and  greatness — to-day  keep  the  same  watch 
and  guard  they  did  when  they  were  finished.  Designed 
for  two  purposes,  one  of  which  w^as  a  depository  of  the 
dead,  the  Pyramids  lift  their  cold,  gray  points  to  Heaven 
and  fulfill  the  second  object  of  their  erection,  inpreventing 
the  sands  of  the  desert  from  sweeping  in  and  making  des- 
olate that  which  was  once  called  the  most  fruitful,  the  most 
productive  part  of  that  country.     And  this  is  all. 

The  dead  have  been  buried  there  for  ages.  That  pur- 
pose has  been  fulfilled  and  ended.  How  much  of  good 
they  accomplish  to-day,  you  can  judge  as  well  as  I.  But 
what  end  is  to  be  fixed  to  the  varied,  the  infinite,  the  in- 
calculable benefits  and  advantages  which  this  engine  has 
already  produced,  and  which  the  world  has  the  right  to 
expect  it  will  continue  to  produce  as  long  as  it  is  in  the 
power  of  steam  to  turn  its  wheel.  With  a  single  pair  of 
hands  to  guide  it,  and  two  simple  bars  of  iron  upon  which 
it  runs,  it  "girdles  the  earth  in  forty  minutes,"  and  like  a 
true  and  good  spirit  it  brings  the  benefits  and  products  of 
one  section  to  interchange  with  them  the  benefits  and  pro- 
ducts of  another. 

It  opens  to  the  enterprise  of  men  sections  of  country 
which  would  have  remained  deserted  and  desolate ;  it 
causes  cities  to  be  built  and  flourishing  towns  to  spring  up 
where  erst  nothing  but  a  dark  and  silent  forest  existed ;  it 
brings  together  man  and  man ;  it  engenders  comparison ; 
it  begets  association ;  it  stimulates  enterprise;  it  fosters  in- 
dustry, and  gives  to  man  and  nature  a  power  and  advan- 
tage they  never  before  possessed.  The  Pyramids,  as  evi- 
dences, of  man's  might  ages  ago^  have  accomplished,  per- 
haps, the  design  for  which  they  were  created ;  but  they 
can  develop  no  new  properties,  neither  have  they  the 
power  of  accomplishing  any  other  design.  But  in  the' 
vast  and  almost  inconceivable  change  which  has  taken 
place  in  almost  every  part  of  the  world  since  this  engine 
was  invented,  in  the  powers  conferred  upon  man  by  its 


4/r#  SPIKITUALISM. 

means,  in  the  new  evidences  which  are  flowing  in  upon  the 
world  every  day  of  the  new  powers,  benefits  and  advan- 
tages which  man  and  nature  are  deriving  from  it,  what  is 
the  world  to  expect,  and  what  and  where  will  be  the  end  ? 
Is  it  necessary  to  pursue  this  comparison  further? 

Tlius  the  necessity  which  laid  the  physical  powers  of 
man  under  tribute,  although  just  as  imperative  to-day,  are 
met  and  mastered  by  those  attributes  which  his  mind  has 
generated  in  his  progressive  advance  from  that  period  up 
to  the  present. 

As  the  spirit  of  man  progresses,  so  does  the  mind,  its 
instrument,  also  become  strengthened  and  developed,  and 
there  is  opened  to  the  mind's  comprehension  the  true  pur- 
poses and  objects  of  creation — matter  as  it  exists  in  its 
general  arrangement  and  in  its  individual  combination, 
the  specific  capacities  of  each  constituent,  and  the  various 
forms  under  or  by  which  new  combinations  may  take  place, 
which  shall  strengthen  man's  dominion  over  every  created 
thing,  and  which  shall,  by-and-by,  from  man's  consummate 
knowledge,  from  the  refinement  and  sublimation  of  his 
various  attributes,  enable  him  to  say,  "  I  will,"  and  it  shall 
be  done. 

The  spirit  here  asked  me  if  I  remembered,  last  winter,  during  our 
travels,  calling  the  Doctor's  attention  to  a  deep  cut  in  a  railroad  track 
over  which  we  were  traveling,  and  telling  him  to  see  how  we  were  con- 
stantly, in  all  our  operations,  assisting  nature  in  the  great  work  that  is 
ever  going  on  around  us,  that  of  leveling  the  rough  face  of  the  earth 
and  fitting  it  for  a  residence  for  a  more  refined  and  progressed  race  of 
human  beings.  Every  road  we  built,  as  well  as  every  rain  storm  that 
came  upon  us,  was  performing  a  part  of  this  work. 

And  then  he  resumed  : 

It  is  not  only  in  laying  railroad  tracks  or  in  clearing  off 
vast  forests,  in  leveling  mountains  and  filling  up  valleys, 
in  constructing  ships,  in  contriving  the  most  intricate 
mechanism,  that  man  exhibits  the  intimate  connection  that 
man  and  his  spirit  and  its  instrumentalities  have  with  his 
'God.     But  it  is,  when  he,  standing  in  the  place  of  his  God, 


SPIRITUALISM.  477 

takes  hold  of  the  very  laws  which  that  God  has  established, 
and  wields  them  by  his  will  in  developing  out  of  the  har- 
monious relations  and  combinations  which  he  himself  de- 
vises, and  producing  from  this  new  and  harmonious  ar- 
rangement a  result  in  advance  of  the  properties  which 
distinguish  either  constituent  originally  in  that  combina- 
tion ;  I  say,  when  he  does  this,  he  of  a  truth  becomes  a 
god,  for  he  makes  the  very  laws  of  that  God  obedient  to 
his  will.  Well  has  one  of  your  wise  men  remarked,  that 
he  who  makes  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  but  one 
grew  before,  is  one  of  the  greatest  benefactors  of  his  kind. 

But  I  say  to  you,  he  who  does  this  manifests  the  ability 
to  do  more,  and  ckn.  make  the  laws  under  which  he  lives 
obey  his  will  in  devising  new  and  more  perfect  creations. 

The  advance  which  has  taken  place  in  the  vegetable  de- 
partment of  the  world  is  almost  inconceivable  to  you.  It 
is  but  a  few  years  since  that  many  of  your  commonest  veg- 
etables were  unknown  to  man,  and  but  a  very  little  time 
has  passed  away  since  many  of  the  fruits  and  the  flowers 
which  adorn  your  gardens  had  no  existence  on  earth. 
They  have  been  developed,  originated,  from  the  skillful 
combinations  which  man's  genius  has  made :  thus  making 
the  Law  a  servant  of  his  will.  He  who  could  stand  on  an 
elevation  overlooking  the  past,  and  which  gives  him  a 
view  of  the  present,  would  strangely  wonder  that  each 
epoch  of  time  has  left  such  Almighty  monuments  of  its 
progress.  Time  was  when  the  vegetation  which  covers 
this  earth  was  so  coarse,  and  rank,  and  so  abundant  that  it 
covered  its  face  in  every  part  where  a  seed  could  take 
root ;  but  how  coarse,  how  crude,  how  unfit  for  the  sup- 
port of  life  ! 

Through  me  it  was  then  said,  as  by  the  spirit  of  Washington  : 

Having  thus  paused  a  moment  to  review  the  realities 
which  have  been  laid  open  before  you,  and  to  contemplate 
how  much  life  in  the  spirit-world  is  but  a  continuance  of 
that  on  earth,  let  us  recur  to  our  original  purpose,  and  see 


478  SPIRITUALISM. 

how  man,  in  his  political  relations  in  the  spheres,  as  you 
would  term  it,  is  still  the  same  being,  possessed  of  the  same 
attributes,  and  affected  by  the  same  tendencies. 

As  with  you,  so  with  us,  in  proportion  as  man  advances  ^ 
from  the  mere  savage  condition  of  living  only  as  an  ani- 
mal, so  does  he  develop  the  necessity  of  government.  And 
the  nigher  he  approaches  toward  the  Godhead,  the  more 
does  he  recognize  the  duty,  the  necessity,  and  the  obliga- 
tion of  order,  regularity,  and  obedience  to  law  and  its  min- 
isters. It  is  only  when  you  descend  to  the  level  of  the 
mere  brute  creation  that  you  behold  a  condition  of  no 
government.  When  there  is  infused  into  man  the  intellect 
of  the  immortal  soul,  there  is  impresseti  upon  his  instincts 
the  necessity  of  government,  and  that  necessity,  I  repeat, 
is  more  and  more  recognized  as  he  advances  upward  to- 
ward his  high  destiny.  And  again,  it  is  as  man  thus  ad- 
vances upward  that  his  government  becomes  one  of  law, 
and  not  of 'absolute  and  uncontrolled  power.  It  is  man's 
degradation,  his  retrogression,  the  growth  and  preponder- 
ance of  his  evil  propensities  which  pervert  that  govern- 
ment from  its  legitimate  form  of  law  to  its  degrading  form 
of  despotism ;  for  it.  will  soon  be  found  that  absolutism 
comes  as  the  legitimate  offspring^  of  anarchy  and  disregard 
of  law,  and  sinks  and  dies  in  the  presence  of  law  and  its 
domination. 

Hence,  in  the  history  of  your  earth,  you  will  observe 
that  all  thoso  arts  and  improvements  which  have  tended 
most  to  elevate  man  intellectually  and  morally,  have  flour- 
ished most  where  power  was  regulated  by  law,  and  that 
those  works  which  have  most  manifested  the  might  of 
man's  physical  nature,  have  found  a  fitting  existence 
amid  the  stern  sway  which  has  made  the  minds  of  the 
many  bow  to  the  will  of  the  few.  And  it  will  be  seen  that 
man  has  most  advanced  in  his  career  upon  earth,  when  the 
government  under  which  he  has  lived  has  aimed  more  at 
his  intellectual  and  moral  nature  than  his  physical. 

You  will  observe  this  in  two  ancient  and  cotemporane- 


SPIEITUALISM.  479 

ous  nations.  The  whole  purpose  of  the  government  of 
Sparta  was  the  development  of  the  animal  nature,  and  all 
that  history  tells  of  Sparta  is,  that  she  produced  good  sol- 
diers and  plenty  of  slaves.  In  Athens,  on  the  other  hand, 
attention  was  more  directed  to  man's  spiritual  nature  ;  and 
when  history  speaks  of  Athens,  she  points  to  her  painting, 
her  poetry,  her  eloquence,  and  her  philosophy,  and  traces 
their  current  down  the  stream  of  time,  leaving  on  future 
ages,  centuries  after,  the  impress  of  the  thoughts  then  de- 
veloped. 

So  it  is  in  the  spiritrworld.  "When  you  have  been  in 
those  darker  regions  where  despair  and  desolation  reigned 
together,  you  have  witnessed  the  rule  of  force,  the  govern- 
ment of  absolute  power,  the  domination  of  individual  will, 
and  you  have  beheld  at  once  the  degradation  of  submission 
with  the  debasement  of  the  man,  or,  to  use  a  passage  in  your 
mind  which  now  rises  to  your  memory,  you  have  seen  how 
"Submission  to  the  tyranny  of  man  is  commensurate  with 
rebellion  to  the  sovereignty  of  God." 

Now  behold  government  in  the  brighter  spheres — not 
the  most  elevated,  but  in  those  conditions  which  are  mani- 
festly above  your  condition  on  earth,  and  see  if,  in  the 
contemplation,  you  may  not  learn  some  truths  that  may 
benefit  your  fellow-man  there.  Hereafter,  perchance  you 
may  behold  government  in  still  higher  conditions  of  spirit- 
life,  and  beholding  how  it,  too,  is  impressed  with  the  all- 
pervading  law  of  progress,  you  may,  step  by  step,  witness 
its  improvement,  and  perhaps  in  time  be  able  to  demon- 
strate to  man  on  earth  that  obedience  to  the  law  of  his 
moral  and  intellectual  existence  may  be  as  instinctive  as 
that  which  is  witnessed  in  the  hunger  and  thirst  of  his 
physical  nature.     But  of  that  hereafter. 

Now  look  upon  the  scene  spread  out  before  you,  and  of 
which  now,  as  yesterday,  you  have  a  bird's-eye  view.  Be- 
hold !  this  community  is  not  so  large  but  that  every  mem- 
ber of  it  may  be  personally  known  to  its  rulers.  Thus  the 
characteristics,  propensities,    attributes   of   all — the  gov- 


4:80  SPIEITUALISM. 

ernor  and  the  governed — are  known  to  each  other.  There 
is  no  reaching  forth  here  of  the  arm  of  power  beyond  the 
scope  of  knowledge,  so  that  it  may  be  exercised  for  the 
benefit  of  the  ruler,  with  but  little  regard  for  the  welfare 
of  the  subject.  But  the  great  end  and  object  of  its  exer- 
cise is  the  advancement  and  happiness  of  all ;  and  power 
here  extends  its  authority  no  further  than  it  can  be  bene- 
ficially exercised  for  the  benefit  of  all  who  may  be  subject 
to  it,  and  who  may  come  within  its  scope. 

And  observe- — for  you  will  see  this  principle  everywhere 
— that  the  great  object  ever  in  view  in  the  exercise  of 
power  here,  is  to  enhance  the  happiness  of  man,  by  pro- 
moting his  progress,  intellectually  and  morally ;  by  ad- 
vancing him  in  purity,  in  love,  and  in  wisdom,  and  thus 
surrounding  him  with  the  product  of  their  combination, 
which  is  Heaven,  wherever  it  may  chance  to  be. 

Now  go  with  me  and  enter  that  hall.  What  see  you 
there  ?  There  is  a  convention  of  a  limited  number  of  per- 
sons, both  male  and  female.  They  seem  to  be  both  aged 
and  young,  possessing,  apparently,  the  wisdom  and  sobriety 
of  age  with  the  enthusiasm  and  energy  of  youth. 

There  is  one  man  presiding  over  the  assemblage.  His 
occupation  seems  to  be  to  preserve  order,  and  infuse  regu- 
larity and  system  into  their  deliberations.  Hear  you  not 
the  subject  of  their  deliberations  ?  You  will  perceive  that 
they  combine  within  themselves  the  advisory  power  of  an 
executive  council,  the  enacting  power  of  a  legislature,  and 
the  dernier  resort  of  a  judicatory. 

I  remarked  to  him,  That  is  a  combination  of  power  which  requires 
great  wisdom  and  virtue,  for  the  danger  of  temptation  must  he  very 
great  ?     He  answered  : 

Yes!  but  is  the  combination  incompatible?  May  not 
man  advance  to  such  a  state  as  to  become  a  safe  depository 
for  such  powers  ?  And  if  he  may,  do  you  not  see  that  the 
combination  in  the  same  hands  will  enable  them  to  temper 
justice  with  mercy,  to  enforce  the  stern  mandate  of  au- 
thority through  an  appeal  to  the  aflTections  ? 


SPIKITUALI8M.  "  481 

But,  I  inquired.  Do  they  execute  as  well  as  enact,  perform  as  well  as 
adjudge  ? 

No,  was  the  answer.  Here  the  progress  is  not  so  great 
as  to  warrant  that  union,  and  consequently  here  the  ex- 
ecutive is  in  a  great  measure,  though  not  entirely,  separated 
from  the  judicial  and  legislative  power.  We  will,  ]?y-and 
by,  observe  the  executive,  but  let  us  pause  a  moment 
longer  here. 

These  men  are  selected  for  the  task  you  see  them  per- 
forming, by  the  free,  open,  unbiased  voices  of  the  whole 
community,  male .  and  female — for  here  woman  stands  by 
the  side  of  man,  the  equal  child  with  him  of  one  common 
Father.  When  I  say  open  choice,  I  mean  as  in  contrast 
with  the  secret  ballot  w^hich  taints  your  earthly  institu- 
tions, and  which  is  as  frequently  the  instrument  of  decep- 
tion as  it  is- the  protection  against  oppression. 

They  are  not  selected  for  any  definite  period.  So  long 
as  they  discharge  their  duties  well,  the  duty  rests  upon 
them.  But  each  is  ever  subject  to  a  public  scrutiny  of  his 
conduct,  and  at  any  time  the  voice  of  that  community  may 
be  taken,  whether  the  individual  shall  continue  longer  in  the 
position  to  which  he  has  been  elevated.  The  power  of  re- 
moval exists  with  the  power  of  appointment,  and  may  be 
exercised  whenever  it  is  demanded.  I  see  you  ask  in  your 
mind,  What  is  .the  qualification  which  elevates  one  to  po- 
sition here  ?  and  I  answer,  All  other  things  being  equal, 
he  who  is  most  ready  to  sacrifice  self  to  the  good  of  others 
is  the  choice  of  the  community ;  for  these  men  are  at  once 
servants  as  well  as  rulers,  and  feel  ever  that  the  great  ob- 
ligation is  to  exercise  power  for  the  good  of  others,  and  not 
for  selfish  purposes. 

Mark  the  character  of  their  debates.  You  have  been 
listening  to  their  discussions.  Do  you  behold  anywhere 
the  display  of  that  intense  selfishness  which  at  once  tram- 
ples under  foot  all  regard  for  others,  all  obligations  of 
time,  all  convictions  of  duty,  that  so  often  convert  your 
earthly  forums  into  the  semblance  of  dens  of  wild  beasts? 

31 


482  SPIRITUALISM. 

Do  you  behold  here  the  love  of  sarcasm  and  retort  that 
rejoices  in  inflicting  suffering,  and  that  revels  in  the  laugh 
which  more  frequently  springs  from  gratified  malevolence 
than  from  innocent  enjoyment?  Do  you  behold  here  the 
turmoil,  the  confusion,  the  uproar,  the  disorder  that  seem 
to  flow  from  the  madness  of  intoxication,  mental  or  phys- 
ical ?  Do  you  behold  here  the  eternal  strife  of  man  with 
man,  that  reminds  one  rather  of  the  .gladiatorial  exhibi- 
tions of  old  than  the  deliberations  of  the  Sanhedrim  or  the 
consultations  of  the  Areopagus?  If  you  do  not,  if  the 
clouds  which  thus  obscure  the  atmosphere  of  mortal  power 
do  not  here  find  an  abiding-place,  to  what  will  you  ascribe 
the  calm,  the  repose,  the  benign  antatmosphere  which  rests 
upon  this  spiritual  scene  ? 

Look  !  in  every  heart  you  will  find  written,  more  or  less 
distinctly,  yet  ever  there,  controlling,  quieting,  directing 
every  thought  and  feeling,  the  injunction,  ''^  Love  one 
another^  This  command,  which  with  them  is  a  reality 
and  not  a  profession,  has  become  to  their  hearts  a  disin- 
fecting agent  that  has  driven  away  the  malaria  which  in 
your  earthly  halls  make  the  mortal  heart  boil  and  bubble 
with  the  malignant  passions  that  you  have  seen  playing 
their  part  even  in  the  spheres,  and  performing  there  their 
terrible  task  of  inflicting  misery  upon  man. 

You  will  observe,  too,  that  there  is  nothing  secret  in  the 
deliberations  of  this  council ;  every  thought  is  open  to  the 
inspection  of  others  and  to  the  observation  of  all  who 
choose  to  look  on.  Disguise,  concealment  of  thought  and 
purpose  !  they  are  unknown  here,  and  no  duty  is  more  im- 
perative than  that  of  driving  them  away  from  their  delib- 
erations. They  think  openly  before  the  world  in  which 
they  live,  and  with  them  language  and  countenance  are 
instruments  of  conveying  truth,  not  concealing  it. 

Mark,  too,  another  characteristic  of  their  deliberations 
— the  extreme  deference  they  pay  each  other,  l^o  matter 
whether  the  speaker  be  young  or  old,  a  novice  among 
them  or    one    long    seated    there,   mark !    how   deferen- 


SPIRITUALISM.  483 

tial  tliey  are  to  all  he  says.  And  can  you  not  see  the  effect 
which  this  produces  upon  him,  prompting  him  every  mo- 
ment to  imitate  the  example  thus  ever  before  him  of  dis- 
regarding self  in  his  regard  for  others  ? 

I  inquired,  Have  not  these  people  some  peculiar  privilegeSj  some  ex- 
clusive right,  as  a  reward  for  their  toil  for  the  common  welfare  ?  He 
answered : 

There  speaks  the  taint  of  earth,  which  can  not  appreciate 
that  virtue  is  its  own  reward,  and  that  the  virtue  of  self- 
denial  is  one,  of  all  others,  most  prolific  of  happiness  to 
the  regenerated  man !  'No !  they  have  no  privilege  but 
that  of  washing  the  feet  of  those  whom  they  serve,  and  in 
return  may  find  their  own  bathed  with  the  tears  of  peni- 
tence, whose  flow  they  have  encouraged.  They  have  the 
privilege  of  enhancing  their  own  happiness  by  toiling  for 
that  of  others — the  privilege  of  advancing  themselves  by 
aiding  the  progression  of  all  around  them — the  privilege 
of  learning  in  the  common  cause  to  be  meek,  gentle,  hum- 
ble, in  the  exercise  of  po\('er,  for  thus  was  He  who  came 
to  save  man  by  unfolding  to  his  view  his  true  destiny. 

Through  Mrs.  Hall,  by  impression,  it  was  written : 

In  view  of  these  great  inherent  principles  of  the  soul, 
where  shall  we  look  for  their  legitimate  and  successful  re- 
sults but  in  that  state  of  existence  where  they  can  be  fully 
developed  and  exercised?  The  experience  of  the  long 
lapse  of  centuries  testifies,  that  here  on  earth  they  are  but 
feebly  and  imperfectly  shadowed  forth.  If  matured  in  any 
one  degree,  it  is  at  the  sacrifice  of  many  others.  Can  the 
reasoning,  philosophical  mind  rest  satisfied  with  this  im- 
perfect manifestation  of  what  is  pronounced  the  noblest 
work  of  God  ?  It  opens  the  half-blown  flower  or  the  stint- 
ed and  shriveled  vegetable,  yet  these  are  more  perfect  in 
their  kind  than  the  majority  of  the  living,  sentient  beings 
who  call  God  their  Father.  Is  not  the  earthly  parent  am- 
bitious and  earnest  for  the  welfare  of  his  offspring  ?  does 
he  not,  overlooking  the  comforts  of  his  present  state,  lav- 


484:  SPIRITUALISM. 

ish  all,  if  need  be,  on  its  advancement  and  improvement  ? 
Love  is  given  and  emulation  excited,  that  it  may  meet  and 
answer  these  expectations.  Whence  springs  all  this  devo- 
tion, this  self-sacrificing  affection,  if  not  from  the  breathing, 
loving  heart  of  the  great  Parent  Cause  ?  Every  principle, 
every  law  originating  in  him,  bears  upon  it  the  impress  of 
his  nature,  and  shall  it  return  unto  him  void?  Shall  the 
great  circle  of  his  holiness  and  perfection  be  broken? 
Can  the  passions  and  sins  iucorporated  into  man's  earthly 
nature  overcome  its  fountain  Source?  As  well  might  the 
trembling  rill  check  or  divert  the  ocean  in  its  surging  roar, 
or  sooth  the  cataract  in  its  awful  play.  Ratlier  let  its  bub- 
bling rill  be  submerged  and  lose  itself  in  the  bosom  of 
omnipotence. 

The  mighty  reservoir  of  redemption  and  purification  is 
opened  for  the  healing  of  the  nations.  Its  ebbing  current 
leaves  the  shores  of  eternity,  and  it  shall  flow  on  till  the 
calmness  of  an  eternal  peace  rests  upon  its  waters,  for  the 
lost  sin  shall  have  been  thrown  upon  its  surface  and  washed 
with  the  tear  of  repentance. 

But  bound  not  this  vision  of  purity  and  blessedness  by 
the  small  advance  made  upon  earth,  for  we  tell  you  it  is 
the  work  of  an  eternity,  even  the  process  of  purification 
before  that  of  embellishment  and  adornment  begins.  The 
soul  must  be  re-Created  into  the  living  principles  of  divine 
holiness  and  love,  and  the  evils  incident  to  its  mortal  ex- 
istence be  purified  even  as  by  fire.  Having  then  the  orig- 
inal, unadulterated  properties  of  the  true  metal  developed 
and  strengthened  by  its  sojourn,  it  shall  assume  forms  of 
beauty  and  loveliness  before  unknown,  and  participate  in 
enjoyments  whose  exquisite  satisfaction  the  loftiest  imag- 
ination never  conceived. 

It  has  struggled  thus  far,  through  life,  a  mystery  to  it- 
self, an  enigma  to  its  fellows.  It  has  gleaned  some  lessons 
from  nature  that  have  soothed  and  comforted  it.  It  has 
worshiped  God  in  the  sun  and  in  the  stars,  and  the  flowers 
have  been  as  angel-breathings,  softening  it  with  the  dew 


SPIRITUALISM.  485 

of  Heaven.  The  God  of  the  soul  has  spoken  in  the  thun- 
der, and  the  song-bird  has  warbled  his  praise ;  their  echoes 
have  thrilled  it  Avith  living  life,  that  it  has  grown.  Now, 
putting  aAvay  childish  things,  it  demands  the  food,  the 
pleasures  of  manhood.  Like  the  oak  of  the  forest,  it  would 
rise  to  Heaven  and  point  the  way.  It  will  remain  no  lon- 
ger at  the  base  of  the  mountain  of  truth.  It  would  mount 
its  rugged  sides.  Though  early  prejudices  and  dearly- 
cherished  opinions  fall  bleeding  by  the  way-side,  leaving 
deep  scars  upon-  the  heart,  it  will  still  press  onward  and 
stand  proudly  at  its  summit,  for  it  knows  and  feels  within 
itself  that  there  is  a  glorious  view  that  will  gratify  its  long- 
ings and  expatiate  its  desires.  It  feels  a  God  above,  around, 
and  within,  and  it  would  cleave  the  heavens,  that  it  may 
know  of  Him,  of  itself,  and  trace  out  that  lineage  which 
binds  it  a  link  in  this  unbounded  chord  of  harmony  and 
love. 

It  is  this  great  want  of  the  human  heart  whose  suppressed 
cry  has  penetrated  the  celestial  heavens,  and  fallen  even 
upon  the  throne  of  God,  mingled  with  the  ashes  of  peni- 
tence, that  has  roused  the  Spirit  in  his  home  of  purity  and 
love,  to  come  forth  and  answer  this  demand  of  suffering 
humanity.  God  has  said,  Let  there  be  light  in  the  moral 
and  spiritual,  as  well  as  in  the  material  world,  and  light 
has  come.  It  already  illumines  many  hearts.  It  is  yet  in 
the  mists  of  the  morning.  The  heavy  clouds  of  the  long 
night  of  error  and  superstition  are  slow  to  disperse,  but  the 
rainbow  of  promise  spans  the  sky.  It  encircles  earth  and 
pervades  heaven.  Its  colors  shall  radiate  with  deepening 
power  and  brightness,  ray  meeting  ray,  till  it  becomes  a 
perfect  halo  of  light,  an  arch  of  beauty  and  majesty,  re- 
flecting the  glory  of  God  and  the  purity  of  man. 

Stand  firm,  then,  ye  faithful  laborers  in  the  vanguard  of 
God's  holy  truth !  Though  the  mists  of  the  morning  en- 
velop you,  the  sun  of  regeneration,  which  sets  only  behind 
the  throne  of  Omnipotence,  has  arisen  in  your  land ;  and 
through  you  its  beams  shall  be  transmitted  to  all  generations. 


486  SPIKITTJALISM. 

God  works  by  laws  through  those  means  best  adapted  for 
the  fulfillment  of  his  designs.  The  time  has  come  when 
the  perfection  of  his  laws  demands  new  and  extended  chan- 
nels of  operation.  The  earth  has  been  upturned  from  its 
center — its  different  strata  analyzed  and  resolved  to  their 
common  elements.  Man  comprehends  how  one  formation 
produces  others,  and  he  stands  proudly  lord  of  its  secret 
workings.  Throughout  its  opening  pages  he  reads  the  pro- 
gressive spirit  of  creation.  He  turns  to  the  world  within 
himself,  and  he  would  understand  its  deep  mystery.  The 
shell  of  his  existence  is  cloven.  The  divinity  entoombed 
there  cries  aloud  for  its  right,  also,  in  the  great  scale  of 
progression. 

The  soul  has  a  right  to  demand  for  itself  its  birthright. 
It  is  not  denied  to  the  animals  and  inanimate  formations 
of  the  universe  of  God,  and  shall  his  breathing  spirit  be 
quenched  when  it  is  capable  of  assimilating  itself  with  Him, 
working  with  and  for  Him  in  the  reproduction  of  beauty 
and  order  ? 

It  is  for  this  that  the  silent  stream  of  thought,  originating 
in  the  great  heart  of  love,  escaped  the  boundary  of  Heaven 
and  wandered  to  earth.  It  is  meandering  through  the 
glades  of  evil ;  it  fertilizes  the  plains  of  benevolence  and 
affection  ;  subdues  the  mountains  of  passion  and  will,  till 
at  last  it  shall  bear  back  the  rich  tribute  of  a  subdued  and 
submissive  world,  ready  to  yield  to  its  Author  the  rich 
fruits  of  its  harvest-gatherings  of  gratitude  and  love. 

It  is  this  advanced  state  of  the  soul,  its  ability  for  still 
further  progression,  that  has  brought  its  kindred  soul  from 
its  spirit-home,  to  lead  it  on,  to  guide  its  researches,  and 
prepare  it  for  its  future  destiny. 

Thought  has  penetrated  eternity,  but,  like  the  impatient 
child,  blindfold  amid  living  beauty  and  life,  it  stretches 
forth  its  groping  hand,  and  that  hand  is  now  grasped  by  a 
spirit-brother.  It  no  longer  is  alone  and  sightless,  but  is 
rejoicing  with  confidence  and  hope. 

Grasp  ye,  then,  our  hand  firmly.     We  will  bear  you 


SPIRITUALISM.  487 

safely  over  the  yawning  gulf  of  death,  and  induct  you  into 
life  everlasting — the  spirit-life,  that  life  that  is  gushing 
up  within  your  soul,  and  has  been  forced  back  upon  itself 
till  its  living  £res  must  either  find  rest  or  consume  the  very 
element  of  its  own  being.  The  JEtna  of  the  soul  has  burst 
forth,  not  with  tlie  lightning  fires  of  destruction,  but  the 
soft  and  mellow  light  of  spiritual  truth  and  regeneration, 
which  rises  like  the  beacon  star  of  hope,  and  shall  again 
guide  the  wanderer  as  did  the  star  in  the  East. 

Emanating  from  the  throne  of  God,  it  rekindles  the 
wandering  spark  of  earth,  that  the}'-  burn  on  together,  and 
thejr  united  flame  consummate  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
resurrection  of  man.  Ministering  spirits  of  his  angel-chil- 
dren have  descended,  bearing  the  torch  of  love  and  wis- 
dom. As  they  ignite  the  combustible  materialities  in  their 
path,  what  wonder  that  affrighted  man  exclaim.  Behold ! 
the  destroyer  cometh  !  He  has  come — to  destroy — to  save  ! 
When  the  smoke  of  the  great  conflagration  now  raging  upon 
your  earth  is  dissolved,  instead  of  mourning  over  the  ruins 
of  the  past,  the  glorious  future  shall  fill  you  with  enrap- 
tured hope.  The  lifting  clouds  shall  reveal  such  beauty, 
life,  and  harmony,  that  the  eager  hand  shall  stretch  itself 
forth  to  pluck,  even  now,  the  flowers  of  Paradise  that  over- 
hang the  scene,  revealed  by  the  clear  atmosphere  of  truth 
and  love  ;  and  they  will  yield  their  fragrance  to  refresh  and 
strengthen  the  soul  for  new  and  still  higher  attainment. 

The  dark  shadow  of  death,  which  has  rested  like  a  pall 
upon  the  breaking  heart  of  the  world,  shall  fade  away,  and 
*  the  clear  river  of  life  flow  in,  bearing  away  only  the  mate- 
rialities of  earth  to  conduct  it  onward  in  the  progressive 
scale  of  being,  wherein  to  bask  in  the  new-born,  unfledged 
hopes  of  its  new  existence.  The  dream-land  of  youth  shall 
have  become  the  reality  of  age,  the  mother  of  its  love,  sit- 
ting side  by  side,  talking  of  God,  and  truth,  and  duty, 
while  the  father,  strong  in  principle  and  fervent  in  action, 
shall  say.  My  son,  thus  can  your  life  glorify  God  and  ben- 
efit man. 


488  SPIEITUALISM. 

The  trembling  penitent  sliall  come  and  be  again  enfolded 
in  the  embrace  of  hope  and  affection — the  tear  of  sorrow, 
falling  only  to  purify — and  the  wayward  be  brought  back 
to  duty. 

The  sad,  unfinished  picture,  abruptly  terminated  in  its 
rudimental  state,  shall  again  be  placed  upon  the  living 
canvas  of  the  heart,  with  its  pencil  dipped  in  the  fountain 
of  eternal  truth  and  justice,  portraying  the  lineaments  of 
spirit-life  and  spirit-land  beyond  the  grave.  The  eye  of 
love  shall  detect  its  own,  but  so  beautiful,  so  chaste,  so 
pure,  it  shall  bow  down  with  reverence  and  gratitude,  and 
say,  My  Lord  and  my  God  ! 

Children  of  earth !  the  home  of  the  spirit  is  now  being 
made  known  to  you,  that  you,  as  in  the  olden  time,  may 
bind  on  your  sandals  and  prepare  for  your  journey.  There 
ia  so  much  of  adornment  and  beauty  you  can  now  place 
there,  so  many  dark  clouds  you  may  dissipate,  that  God  in 
his  mercy  has  permitted  the  vail  to  be  lifted.  And  beware 
how  you,  in  your  short-sightedness  and  worldly  wisdom, 
ruthlessly  destroy  the  vision.  You  act  for  your  own  soul 
and  its  eternal  destiny.  You  can  enter  now  the  mansions 
of  eternal  blessedness,  or  you  can  stand  shivering  among 
the  cold  vanities  of  earth  till  life  shivers  into  eternity. 
But  even  then  you  must  take  up  its  tangled  thread  and 
weave  from  its  disjointed  fibers  the  texture  of  immortal- 
ity. You  stand  alone  accountable  before  God  for  the  use 
you  make  of  the  great  privileges  bestowed  upon  you,  and 
in  this  individual  responsibility  it  is  given  you. 

We,  the  spirits,  love,  advise,  and  counsel  you.  Before 
God,  we  are  true  to  you,  true  to  ourselves,  and  faithful  to 
duty  in  this  matter.     Judge  ye. 

Our  instruments  that  we  have  chosen  are  like  yourselves, 
of  the  earth,  earthy ;  with  much  labor,  and  sacrifice,  and 
'toil  have  they  been  prepared  to  transmit  to  the  world  the 
truth  of  the  living  God,  through  the  testimony  of  his  min- 
istering spirits.  They  are  freely  offered  as  burnt-offerings 
upon  its  altar.    They  work  for  us  and  with  us,  and  well 


SPIRITUALISM.  489 

they  know  that  with  us  they  stand  or  fall.  They,  with  us, 
feel  the  sustaining  power  of  God,  and  His  truth,  and  whether 
comes  weal  or  woe,  we  say  with  him  of  Nazareth,  "  Thy 
will,  not  ours,  be  done." 


ttiim  Bht^-hxu. 


West  Roxburt,  August  24,  1854. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  new  circle,  through  Mrs.  Leeds  it  was  written  : 

The  spirit  to  remain  inactive  after  the  body  has  fallen 
asleep  and  gone  to  the  grave?  O  !  man  of  earth  !  ask  rea- 
son, and  consult  the  throne  of  judgment,  then  commune 
with  thy  God,  for  he  is  always  near  to  inspire  holy  thoughts 
into  the  soul  of  his  creatures  who  have  emanated  from  the 
Godhead.  Why  put  from  you  His  divine  hand  ?  It  would 
elevate  and  lead  you  back  to  purity,  love,  and  truth.  God, 
in  his  infinite  wisdom,  would  give  man  of  the  Tree  of  Life 
in  this  existence,  so  as  not  to  go  into  eternity  with  so  much 
darkness  around  and  about  him,  but  rather  like  the  proph- 
ets of  old. 

It  is  their  teachings  you  take  for  a  guide  at  this  day. 
Has  God  the  Father  lost  all  power  ?  given  his  creatures  the 
ascendency  ?  for  they  say  in  their  pride,  "  There  can  be  no 
communication  with  his  ministering  spirits,  and  even  if 
there  can,  it  must  be  evil ;"  forgetting  that  the  good  and 
evil  are  always  put  in  the  reach  of  mortals  for  them  to 
choose,  and  by  the  fruits  shall  ye  know  them.  Beware 
how  the  light  is  neglected,  for  we  compel  not ;  we  only  in- 
vite you  to  view  the  path  of  wisdom  and  truth  before  you, 
to  lead  you  from  darkness  into  marvelous  light.     Yes,  we 


490  SPIEITUALISM. 

would  give  to  you  the  bread  of  Life.  Ask  and  you  shall 
receive  of  the  truth  that  surrounds  earth.  You  have  the 
evidence  of  our  being  with  those  who  will  inquire  how  to 
attain  the  realization  of  our  communion.  Come,  learn  of 
that  joy — the  joy  of  knowing  that  departed  friends  are  ever 
anxious  to  speak  of  the  life  beyond  the  grave — to  give  of 
the  evergreen  of  Hope,  and  bring  the  myrtle  of  Love,  the 
olive-branch  of  Peace.  Will  you  refuse  the  Dove  who 
would  tell  you  of  the  dry  land  that  we  have  reached,  and 
would  come  on  angel-wings  to  bring  glad  tidings  to  every 
heart  ?  Oh !  come  !  drink  at  the  Fount,  and  thirst  no 
more.     It  is  the  well-spring  of  everlasting  joy. 

Now  we  will  explain  what  these  joys  and  pleasures  are, 
and  of  what  they  consist  in  the  spirit-spheres — that  which 
is  congenial  and  profitable,  and  will  aid  in  progression. 

If  one  of  the  partners  of  your  joys  and  sorrows  is  called 
first,  he  can  wait  by  some  clear  stream  and  tarry  the  com- 
ing of  the  other.  The  same  occupations  and  delights  can 
be  enjoyed  there.  The  h'alls  of  memory  can  be  consulted, 
and  oh  !  how  they  should  be  decorated  on  earth,  that  when 
visiting  their  apartments,  there  shall  be  no  shadow  of  re- 
morse to  mar  the  temple  of  immortality.  There,  in  the 
garden  of  Contentment,  await  the  loved  ones,  to  reveal  to 
you  the  treasures  not  hidden,  but  ready  for  the  coming  of 
spirits  to  the  homes  of  the  children  of  God.  Heaven  and 
earth  rejoice  in  the  light  given  them. 

Then  followed  this  dialogue  through  Mrs.  Leeds  and  Laura,  spoken 
by  them  on  two  or  three  different  days,  and  written  down  by  others. 

Helen. — This  path  leads  to  a  beautiful  scene ;  it  is  that 
of  a  village. 

Lauea. — A  cord  draws  me  back  as  I  get  on  that  path. 

H. — I  know  what  it  is.  Think  not  of  that  cord ;  it  is  not 
broken. 

L. — What  is  it  ?  It  seems  I  get  so  far,  eager  to  go  on, 
and  then  I  fall  back. 

H. — ^Think  not  of  it,  for  we  are  delaying  these  spirits  in 


SPIKITUALISM.  ^^ 

the  form  and  out.  "We  will  describe  that  village,  and  all 
you  see,  and  explain  it  through  you. 

L. — I  am  going  up  a  hill,  wending  my  way  among  bush- 
es, in  a  narrow  path,  and  I  should  judge . 

H. — Have  you  to  judge  ?  There  is  but  one  Judge.  He 
judges  all.  You  must  go  in  that  path,  and  make  the  best 
of  your  way  onward.  Kow  go,  and  with  me  describe  the 
village  and  the  scenes  therein. 

L. — I  have  reached  the  summit  of  the  hill . 

H. — ^There  are  myriads  of  forms  here  !  Are  they  spirit- 
forms  ?  See  how  busily  they  are  engaged  in  their  different 
occupations ! 

L. — Each  one  seems  to  be  deeply  interested  in  his  work, 
and  I  notice  on  every  face  the  same  expression  of  peace. 

H. — And  as  you  gaze  on  this  scene,  ever  and  anon  these 
spirits  welcome  to  their  homes  a  new  face.  Some  of  those 
new  comers  look  weary  and  worn,  as  if  they  had  had  much 
pain.  There  are  little  children  here  of  every  size  and  age. 
It  makes  no  matter  whether  they  are  strangers  or  not,  for 
this  village  is  called  Benevolence. 

L. — I  see  at  one  end  of  the  village  a  large  temple. 

H. — But  you  have  not  seen  with  how  much  tenderness 
and  care  they  treat  these  strangers  who  come  to  their  vil- 
lage ;  and  when  they  look  up  and  ask  where  they  are  ?  they 
tell  them  in  the  kindest  accents  to  wait  till  rested,  and  they 
shall  travel  farther  onward.  Then  the  spirits  take  it  upon 
themselv^es,  each  in  their  turn,  to  administer  to  the  wants 
and  comfort  of  those  intrusted  to  their  care.  Love  beams 
on  every  face,  and  the  weary  are  soon  restored  to  strength. 

L. — I  notice  that  this  village  is  situated  on  a  side  hill, 
and  the  mansions  are  varied  in  architecture,  but  very  beau- 
tiful, each  dwelling-place  suiting  the  taste  of  the  occu- 
pant, and  I  see  a  beautiful  stream  running  gently  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill. 

H. — See  how  busily  the  spirit-forms  are  filling  goblets 
and  carrying  them  to  their  homes  to  refresh  those  they  have 
under  their  care. 


492  SPIRITUALISM. 

L. — See !  there  is  a  dwelling  open  in  front,  and  it  is 
large  and  beautiful.  A  spirit  tells  me  it  is  of  Grecian 
architecture,  and  I  see,  as  those  strangers  approach,  some 
are  ushered  in  there,  and  the  beautiful  spirits  of  the  place 
draw  near  to  them  and  are  endeavoring  to  rouse  them  to 
vigor;  and  now  I  see  those  cup-bearers  bringing  of  the 
cooling  stream. 

H. — Yes,  and  if  you  will  look  above  you  will  see  spirit- 
forms  floating  in  the  air,  all  ready  to  take  the  spirits,  as  fast 
as  they  recover,  and  carry  them  in  their  arms  to  another 
village  more  beautiful.  As  they  enter  this  village,  what 
see  you  at  the  entrance  ?  It  is  an  eye.  What  is  the  mean- 
ing of  it  ?     They  will  tell  you. 

L. — It  signifies  that  even  in  this  resting-place  He  dwells 
as  he  does  in  all  space  and  in  all  eternity. 

H. — But  here  you  will  see  them  looking  over  books,  as 
if  they  wished  either  to  recall  or  see  the  record  of  those 
who  have  gone  before  them.  Then,  as  they  look,  there  is 
a  spirit  that  comes  forward  and  tells  them  there  is  the  eye 
to  behold  every  footstep  they  shall  take  in  progression,  in 
order  to  be  prepared  to  see  the  loved  ones  who  have  passed 
before  them ;  and  as  I  look  I  perceive,  as  they  run  their 
finger  down  the  list  of  names,  there  are  names  of  friends 
they  have  known  on  earth,  and  the  names  they  bear  in  the 
spheres.  Then  they  look  in  another  book,  and  it  is  very 
large,  and  there  are  laid  out  plans  of  what  they  shall  do, 
in  order  to  go  from  this  village  to  one  even  more  beautiful. 
That  village  is  called  Charity. 

L. — O!  I  see  a  spirit  that  has  just  arrived;  she  is  de- 
crepit and  old  with  grief,  and  she  looks  submissive,  but 
as  though  sorrow  had  weighed  her  spirit  nigh  unto  the 
dust. 

H. — "Well,  she  will  not  look  so  long,  for  every  thing 
beams  with  benevolence  and  charity  ;  and  even  as  she 
looks  on  that  arch  in  front  of  that  beautiful  home  (for  it 
has  "  Home"  in  beautiful  letters  over  it),  it  attracts  her  at 
tention  and  inspires  her  with  confidence. 


SPIRITUALISM*      *  4^3 

L. — Hark  !  she  speaks. 

H. — She  forgets  she  is  old  and  decrepit. 

L. — She  stands  erect,  and  says,  "  My  God !  ray  God ! 
thou  hast  not  forsaken  me.  My  soul  has  indeed  found  its 
resting-place." 

H. — As  she  enters  that  dwelling,  familiar  voices  say  to- 
her,  "  This  is  a  home  for  you,  but  you  have  not  to  cease 
working  yet." 

L. — Why  does  she  start?  She  replies,  "Work!  I  will 
ever  work,  to  repay  a  Father's  tenderness  and  mercy  to 
me." 

H. — She  inquires  what  is  the  work  ?  Her  guide  then 
tells  her  to  first  come  in  and  sit  down  and  feel  at  home. 

L. — And  is  that  the  way  mortals  are  received  when  leav- 
ing the  form  ? 

H. — ^If  you  will  notice,  you  will  see  she  has  much  work 
to  do. 

L.— Why  is  that  ? 

H. — Because  she  must  not  only  have  freedom  of  mind 
to  feel  she  is  at  home,  but  must  act  accordingly.  You  see 
she  has  benevolence  and  charity.  This  is  her  work,  for  her 
to  extend  mercy  to  all  who  come  within  her  home.  She 
is  the  sole  occupant  there  now,  for  those  familiar  faces  are 
gone.     They  were  only  there  to  w^elcome  her. 

L. — O !  what  a  happy  entrance  into  the  spheres  !  and  she 
feels  that  while  working  there,  and  greeting  others,  she  is 
fitting  herself  to  meet  those  loved  ones  ;  and  there  we  will 
leave  her.  ;  ;    -> 

H. — Do  you  see  how  beautiful,  how  quiet  the  village  is? 
Every  thing  is  so  in  order,  but  full  of  spirit-forms.  The 
air  about  them  is — what  ? 

L. — And  is  it  only  that  light  cloud,  that  mist,  that  sep- 
arates them  from  another  sphere  ? 

H. — And  riding  on  that  cloud  are  happy,  smiling  faces, 
and  they  are  ever  inspiring  those  in  this  happy  village  with 
exalted  thoughts. 

L. — But  see,  there  is  a  child  about  leaving  that  place.    Let 


4:94  SPIEITUALISM. 

US  watch  it.  Tliej  all  know  it  is  going  away,  and  there  is 
not  an  expression  of  regret  or  selfishness  there.  The  beau- 
tiful little  one  laughingly  bids  them  adieu,  and  they  all 
with  one  voice  raise  a  chant. 

Hark  to  the  words !  "  We  praise  thee,  O  God,  we  lift 
Our  souls  to  thee."  Borne  on  a  silvery  cloud,  the  little  one 
passes  from  their  sight,  and  they  return  to  their  peaceful 
labors. 

H. — ISTow  we  will  go  a  little  farther — for  distance  is 
nothing  here — and  look  into  that  city.  It  must  be  a  city, 
it  is  so  much  larger. 

L. — And  what  is  it  called  ? 

H. — The  architecture  of  the  buildings  is  beautiful,  and 
as  you  enter  beneath  the  portals  of  the  gate  you  look  with 
awe. 

L. — Sister  spirit,  they  tell  me  I  am  to  describe  that  place  ? 
May  I  do  it  justice. 

H. — You  have  first  to  tell  the  name  of  the  city. 

I  will  give  it  to  you  in  a  few  moments,  and  then  you  can 
go  on.  A  spirit,  robed  in  silvery  garments,  holds  a  wreath 
in  its  hand.  It  is  formed  of  jewels,  very  beautiful  and 
dazzling  to  the  sight,  and  as  you  gaze,  you  will  gather 
strength. 

The  name  of  the  city  is  Love.  You  can  now  enter  and 
describe  the  interior. 

L. — The  country  before  me  is  very  beautiful.  There  are 
many  paths  leading  to  the  gateway.  The  gate  I  have  seen 
before.  It  consists  of  gold,  a  glittering  gold,  light,  and 
not  so  gross  and  material  as  our  gold.  It  is  a  very  large 
gate,  and  has  an  arch  over  it  formed  of  the  same  material 
— transparent  gold ;  the  device  is  a  grape-vine,  the  leaves 
and  fruit  closely  intertwined,  and  the  two  ends  held  to- 
gether by  a  jeweled  bird.  The  gate  is  opened,  and  I  see, 
a  bright  spirit  standing  at  the  entrance,  who  ushers  us  in. 

H. — ISTow  we  will  advance,  so  as  to  inform  others  what 
the  buildings  are  and  of  what  use  they  are,  for  here  great 
numbers  congregate. 


SPIRITUALISM.  495 

L.- — Sister  spirit,  what  is  that  shining  light  before 
us? 

H. — That  is  the  beacon  light  to  the  city  of  Xove. 

The  buildings  are  most  beautiful,  but  the  order  that 
reigns  within  is  more  so.  Tell  thou  what  thou  seest  to 
those  who  are  waiting  to  hear  the  news  of  this  city. 

L. — And  joyous  news  it  will  be,  for  there  is  perfect  love 
reigning  here  ! 

H. — And  other  combinations,  no  doubt.  Love  of  excel- 
lence and  wisdom. 

L. — And  truth. 

H. — And  do  you  perceive  how  many  spirits  recognize 
familiar  faces  ?  How  content  they  seem  ?  and  how  intent 
in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge  ? 

L. — They  beckon  us. 

H. — Yes,  for  I  see  their  thoughts.  It  is  not  so  much  for 
what  they  shall  cull,  for  their  own  use,  but  to  enable  them 
to  progress  others  in  all  the  branches  of  learning  in  which 
they  are  engaged. 

L. — Now  they  are  drawing  us  from  the  portals  of  that 
city  up  an  avenue  leading  to  a  large  building  far  distant. 

H. — ^The  motto  over  that  building  is,  "  Liberty  to  all  who 
enter  this  city." 

L. — Great  quiet  reigns  here,  no  discordant  sounds,  no 
inharmonious  greetings. 

H. — For  every  thing  is  done  decently  and  in  order. 

L. — As  we  advance  toward  that  building,  see  the  numer- 
ous spirits  thronging  there  of  every  age  and  size.  Pray 
describe  it. 

H. — -It  is  a  circular  building  with  twenty-four  galleries. 
It  has  no  roof. 

L. — Why,  it  resembles  an  amphitheater  ! 

H. — In  front  of  the  speaker's  desk  there  are  guides,  each 
one  having  in  his  hand  the  motto  of  his  class,  and  as  each 
speaker  advances  to  the  desk,  he  addresses  his  class  in  a 
specific  manner,  and  in  such  terms,  that  it  impresses  them 
more  forcibly  than  others  in  the  building,  so  that  each 


4:96  SPIRITUALISM. 

guide  instructs  his  own  sphere  of  spirits,  although  they 
meet  in  this  temple  of  learning  in  such  a  mass. 

L. — I  notice  that  they  are  very  attentive  and  intent  on 
what  he  says.  A  look  of  perfect*  content  pervades  the 
whole  assembly,  and  as  each  finishes  his  discourse,  he 
stands  aside,  and  another  teacher  takes  liis  place. 

H. — They  are  not  arranged  as  mortals  are  in  their  places 
or  classes,  but  seemingly  float  on  the  atmosphere,  and  com- 
bine together  so  closely  that  a  very  large  number  of  spirit- 
forms  can  be  admitted  within  the  building. 

L. — I  notice  one  feature  here  in  this  hall,  and  that  is,  on 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  w^hich  seems  so  transparent,  a 
great  many  flowers  are  growing. 

H. — The  city  is  built  upon  ethereal  clouds,  surpassing  in 
beauty  every  thing  that  can  be  brought  to  the  view  of  the 
material  eye.  Mortals  can  have  no  conception  of  it !  for 
one  sphere  is  built  on  another  in  an  ethereal  atmosphere, 
and  is  alive  with  spirit-forms,  keeping  together  in  perfect 
order. 

L. — The  city  spreads  out  to  a  great  distance,  and  its 
whole  appearance  is  ethereal  —  nothing  like  our  earthly 
material  about  it.  There  is  a  delicacy,  a  transparency  in 
the  objects  that  is  past  description. 

H. — And  the  exterior  of  their  dresses,  countenances, 
buildings,  every  thing,  has  this  most  beautiful,  refulgent 
light,  that  passes  all  understanding,  except  of  those  who 
can  be  permitted  to  enter  the  interior  state,  or,  in  other 
words,  pass  from  the  normal  state  with  spirit-guides  by 
spirit-laws  beyond  the  valley. 

L. — Why  does  the  light  here  change  so  much?  Do  you 
notice  it  ? 

H. — ]^o,  I  am  trying  to  see  what  they  are  showing  me 
about  this  valley,  I  have  not  advanced  as  far  as  you  yet. 

L. — I  will  wait  and  help  you. 

H. — ]S'o,  I  do  not  wish  you  to  do  so.  The  valley  of 
Courage — for  it  requires  much  courage  to  penetrate  beyond 
the  material  life,  to  behold  the  mysteries,. the  beauties,  the 


SPIRITUALISM.  497 

glories  of  the  eternal  life.  And  it  is  not  denied  to  any  of 
God's  children — they  can  all  partake  of  this  spirit-life,  and 
it  will  strengthen  and  invigorate  the  mortal  body,  and  lit 
it  and  prepare  the  spiritual  body  for  all  the  dangers "  it 
mnst  undergo  to  meet  the  forms  of  those  so  loved  on  earth. 
Now,  if  you  will  come  with  me,  and  look  particularly  at 
the  other  buildings  in  this  city,  we  can  learn  what  the 
spirits  have  to  ocQupy  themselves  about  after  coming  out 
of  this  temple  of  wisdom  and  learning. 

L. — We  will  go.  ISTow  I  see  a  large  building  of  purest 
white  material.  It  is  circular,  and  the  roof  is  supported 
by  columns  elaborately  wrought.  I  can  not  count  them, 
there  are  so  many.  The  roof  resembles  layer  upon  layer 
of  smooth,  frosted  snow,  and  at  the  top  is  a  beautiful  bird, 
with  wings  outspread,  and  in  his  beak  he  bears  a  small 
tablet,  on  which  is  written,  "Truth." 

H. — I  also  notice  that  all  the  birds  are  of  a  golden  hue; 
their  plumage  is  very  beautiful.  They  are  not  entirely 
useless,  for  each  bears  in  its  bill  a  bit  of  tissue  or  trans- 
parent paper,  on  which  words  are  written,  and  they  go  to 
other  spheres  and  let  fall  these  scraps.  The  spirits  there 
take  them  up,  and  read  thereon  words  of  encouragement 
and  hope,  and  thus  the  spirit-friends  in  the  spheres  are 
cheered  and  progressed,  and  so  these  little  songsters  are 
employed,  and  they  carry  music  that  doeth  the  spirit  good, 
their  notes  are  so  melodious  and  are  in  such  perfect  tune 
and  keeping. 

L. — I  observe  that  in  this  are  the  same  class  of  spirits 
the  first  speaker  was  addressing.  Some  are  conversing, 
some  inscribing  words  on  bits  of  paper ;  and  as  the  words 
are  written  and  the  papers  filled,  some  spirit  near  takes 
the  scroll  and  gives  it  to  a  bird,  by  whom  it  is  wafted 
away. 

H. — Let  us  follow  that  bright  messenger-bird  and  see 
where  he  will  carry  us,  for  he  looks  round  to  see  if  we  are 
coming.  . 

We  draw  near  a  sphere.     On  the  outside  are  stationed 

32 


498  SPIRITUALISM. 

bright  spirits,  with  golden  robes  tinged  with  blue ;  around 
their  foreheads  are  halos  of  light.  Going  round  to  the  en- 
trance of  this  city,  I  see  over  the  gates  the  words  engraven, 
"The  City  of  Happy  Childhood."  'No  mortal  eye  can 
conceive  of  the  beauty  of  the  spirit-forms  which  come  to 
greet  the  little  cherubs  who  are  entering  the  city  the  same 
time  we  are. 

L. — 'Tis  Heaven,  indeed ! 

H. — A  mother's  heart  must  thrill  with  joy  when  she 
hears  of  this  city. 

L. — I  hear  music.  Oh !  it  swells  on  the  ear  gradually 
louder  and  louder,  and  dies  away  with  joyous  notes  as  me- 
lodious as  the  woodbird. 

H. — There  are  flowers  here  of  the  same  hue  and  bright- 
ness as  the  spirits  themselves.  And  oh,  see !  the  little 
cherubs  twining  flowers.  They  look  up,  and  their  happy 
faces  are  lit  with  holy  light.  When  they  get  a  garland  or 
wreath  woven,  these  little  birds  take  it  from  their  snowy 
hands  and  bear  it  to  another  sphere  to  encourage  a  mother 
who  is  struggling  to  see  her  dear  one,  or  bear  it  to  earth  to 
whisper  in  the  mother's  ear  that  it  is  not  dead,  but  twining 
brightest  flowers  in  the  spirit-spheres  to  greet  her  coming, 
and  they  are  ever  active  in  twining  these  flowers.  They 
laugh  so  childlike  and  so  happy,  for  they  are  perfection 
here,  it  would  seem  to  us.  As  I  gaze,  I  see  spirits  with 
the  same  dress  coming  to  this  city,  and  look  around,  but  it 
is  in  order  with  all.  Then  I  see,  as  I  saw  before,  a  class, 
but  not  so  many,  arise  from  their  position  and  float  with 
their  guide,  for  they  can  leave  this  city,  and  so  he  leads 
them  along  in  a  train.  They  touch  at  every  sphere,  to  the 
planets,  and  meet  other  spirits  who  take  them  in  charge : 
thus  they  can  go  everywhere  and  anywhere,  for  they  have 
more  liberty  than  those  spirits  who  have  arrived  at  a  more 
mature  age. 

L. — I  notice  that  when  the  spirit-guide  conducted  them 
from  the  city  they  looked  upon  him  with  great  joy  and  con- 
lidence,  and  seemed  to  anticipate  pleasure.     As  they  sep- 


SPIRITUALISM.  499 

arated  from  liiin,  and  laughingly  bade  him  adieu,  they 
floated  out  of  his  care,  but  not  out  of  his  sight. 

H. — I  believe  that  the  little  cherubs  have  but  one  pre- 
vailing thought,  that  is,  to  go  to  and  from  this  bright  city 
with  flowers. 

L. — Whither  are  we  going  now  ? 

H. — I  am  watching  these  little  angel-forms  ;  they  are  so 
happy,  I  could  never  tire  looking  at  them,  and  seeing  them 
with  their  little  messenger-birds  floating  in  the  air,  for  they 
go  with  them. 

L. — We  must  away,  for  they  beckon  us.  We  must  leave 
this  heavenly  scene. 

H. — As  I  look  at  other  parts  of  this  city,  I  see  spirit- 
forms  larger  than  the  first,  and  they  are,  as  it  were,  going 
to  school.  They  have  guides  the  same,  and  as  I  look  I  see 
a  train  coming  from  school ;  and  another  train  separating, 
each  going  in  a  different  direction,  as  if  there  was  an  at- 
traction that  drew  them  to  all  parts  of  the  universe.  As  I 
examine  their  features  closely,  I  see  there  much  intelli- 
gence, far  beyond  mortals'  idea  of  children. 

L. — I  notice  one  feature — it  is  this :  the  mind  of  the 
spirit-child  is  so  cultivated  that  all  its  latent  powers  are 
dbv eloped  gradually;  those  that  were  most  developed  on 
earth  are  not  forced  beyond  the  other  powers,  but  their 
minds  are  so  trained  that  all  the  attributes  God  has  given 
them  are  perfected  ;  therefore  that  aspect  of  intelligence — 
that  deep  look  that  belongs  to  eternity. 

11. — And  each  of  these  spirit-forms — for  there  are  not 
one  or  two,  but  millions — can  leave  their  spirit-spheres, 
and  with  their  guides  hover  near  mortals  for  a  stated 
time.  I  have  watched  them  closely  as  they  come  near  our 
planet  Earth,  and  observe  they  go  to  those  about  their 
own  age. 

L.— Why  is  that  ? 

H. — -When  they  see  the  young  tempted  by  other  spirits 
around  them  that  always  hover  near  earth,  they  take  from 
their  guides  the  same  scraps  of  paper  that  I  have  noticed 


600  SPIRITUALISM. 

in  the  little  beaks  of  the  birds,  and  read  them  alond.  If 
the  mortal  hears  them  not  the  first  time,  they  read  them 
seven  times,  for  they  do  not  become  weary  or  discouraged ; 
and  when  they  perceive  that  they  can  not  reach  the  germ 
within  the  casket  to  impress  it  aright,  they  offer  np  a 
prayer — not  a  prayer  to  leave,  but  to  come  again,  that  they 
may  have  strength  to  resist  the  temptation  around  them  in 
their  own  natures  and  the  affinities  that  impel  them.  They 
do  not  look  sad,  for  even  after  they  have  endeavored  with 
all  their  spirit-power,  there  is  a  smile  of  resignation  and 
trust  that  they  shall  be  able  yet  to  make  mortals  realize 
the  goodness  of  God  in  so  letting  his  ministering  spirits 
come  to  them  and  lead  them  from  error  to  truth. 

L. — We  are  on  the  wing  again.  Where'er  we  turn  our 
eye  we  see  perfect  system,  perfect  order,  perfect  beauty. 

H. — And  there  is  no  trying  to  outdo  one  another.  All 
is  in  such  perfect  harmony  that  one  and  all  are  anxious  to 
know  what  they  can  do  for  the  spirits  at  their  side ;  it  is 
almost  too  much  for  mortal  senses  to  believe. 

L.— Why  is  that  clear  fountain  there,  at  the  entrance  of 
the  City  of  Childhood? 

H. — It  is  the  fountain  of  Jewels. 

L. — For  what  purpose  is  it  ? 

H. — Do  you  not  see  the  little  cherubs  run  and  pick 
up  the  jewels  as  they  fall  from  the  fount,  bubbling  and 
sparkling,  toss  them  in  the  air,  and  catch  them  as  they 
fall?  Then  they  look  at  them,  and  the  jewels  speak  to 
them  in  these  words,  "  Such  are  ye  :  be  pure,  and  mar  not 
our  beauty.  We  will  let  you  play  with  us  until  you  shall 
be  as  bright  and  pure  as  we  are,  that  yoa  can  enter  with 
us,  for  we  will  be  your  passports  to  the  gate  of  Heaven." 
And  the  little  cherubs  look  around,  and  their  thoughts 
say,  "  Can  there  be  a  brighter  place  than  this !"  The 
words  uttered  by  the  jewels  are  engraven  on  them.  I 
never  want  to  go  away  from  this  place ;  there  is  no  guile 
or  sorrow  here  ;  all  is  pure,  bright,  and  holy. 

L. — Following  that  bright  light,  a  bright  form  appears 


SPIRITUALISM.  601 

floating  before  us,  and  I  see  a  band  of  bright  little  spirits 
coming  toward  us.     Shall  we  not  go  toward  them  ? 

H. — They  wish  us  to  follow  the  spirit  of  a  little  child  to 
the  childhood  spheres.  I  am  borne  to  a  room  where  there 
are  many  mortals  standing  around  a  little  couch.  As  I 
look  above  the  sorrowing  minds,  I  see  a  perfect  semblance 
of  a  little  child,  in  airy  form,  in  the  arms  of  one  of  those 
bright  ones  I  saw  a  little  time  ago.  He  smiles  and  wishes 
me  to  go  and  see  how  this  little  child  employs  its  time. 
She  is  joyous,  though  just  taken  from  the  arms  of  a  fond 
mother.  She  is  attended  on  every  side  by  those  little 
birds.  She  thinks  not  of  earth,  or  that  she  ever  existed 
there  ;  but  as  the  spirit  floats  on  this  bright  cloud,  it  ever 
and  anon  whispers  in  the  child's  ear,  "Thy  father  and 
mother  of  earth  you  shall  see  again.  Do  not  forget  them. 
You  shall  come  with  all  these  little  birds  around  you,  and 
whisper  love  into  their  thoughts.  You  will  float  near 
them  with  all  these  little  birds,  and  they  will  give  them 
those  little  scraps  of  paper,  so  that  they  can  read  and  un- 
derstand them  ;  and  as  you  grow — as  you  would  have  done 
on  earth — the  papers  and  the  birds  will  grow  larger.  For- 
get not  thy  father  and  mother  of  earth." 

The  child  looks  up  without  wondering,  but  seems  to  un- 
derstand by  instinct  what  the  spirit  says. 

The  little  child  is  attended  by  tiny  birds  opening  their 
beaks,  and  that  enchains  its  attention-  so  that  it  keeps  a 
constant,  fixed  gaze.  I  see  in  the  beak  of  those  birds  a 
small  scroll.  The  birds  have  the  same  golden  plumage, 
and  send  forth  such  notes  of  love  that  the  child  asks  for 
the  scroll,  and  the  spirit  gives  it  to  her. 

They  have  now  almost  arrived.  I  know  the  road — I 
have  been  here  before.  They  meet  a  train  of  cherubs 
about  the  same  age,  three  or  four  years,  who  seem  to  re- 
joice that  another  is  added  to  their  number.  They  know 
the  child  is  just  from  earth  by  the  scroll  and  the  little  birds, 
and  as  they  approach  the  gate  where  is  so  much  splendor 
and  beauty,  it  does  not  dazzle  the  eye  of  the  child,  for  all 


502  SPIKITUALISM. 

the  way  they  have  been  preparing  its.  spirit,  and  it  feels 
composed,  and  with  all  its  childlike  glee  begins  to  pick  up 
the  jewels.  There  is  not  one  thing  in  this  home  but  what 
bears  the  impress  of  intelligence — every  thing  seems  almost 
to  speak. 

The  child  plays  with  the  jewels  as  with  its  toys  on  earth, 
and  when  tired  rests  on  this  cloud  of  light.  It  requires 
not  much  time  to  recruit,  for,  like  a  child  on  earth,  its 
mind  is  ever  active  and  restless  after  some  new  toy. 

From  jewels  to  flowers,  it  passes  the  first  day  of  its  ex- 
istence in  this  form. 

Then,  when  it  looks  around,  it  finds  itself  clothed  with  a 
new  form.  It  looks  at  its  hands,  and  now  first  beholds  the 
children  surrounding  it.  It  claps  its  hands  with  a  merry 
peal  of  laughter,  and  says,  "I'll  have  a  good  play  now 
with  all  these  little  boys  and  girls."  It  has  not  yet  changed 
any  of  those  childish  words  which  it  was  accustomed  to 
use  on  earth.  And  as  I  gaze,  I  see  there  are  spirits  ever 
whispering  in  the  ear  of  its'  parents  on  earth,  and  the  same 
spirit  which  bore  the  child  to  its  home,  goes  back  to  the 
mother,  and  that  links  the  chain  of  afiection  that  is  never 
to  be  broken.  That  spirit  tarries  with  the  sorrowing 
mother,  and  prepares  the  atmosphere  around  her  for  the 
little  cherub  to  bring  the  mother  flowers,  and  for  the  little 
birds  to  sing  their  notes  of  love  with  these  words,  "Mother ! 
look  up,  my  spirit  is  here.  I  love  my  happy  home,  and 
my  spirit  can  come  so  near,  and  bring  all  the  bright  flow- 
ers that  grow  in  that  garden  and  give  them  to  father  and 
mother,  who  so  loved  me  on  earth." 

The  spirits  are  constantly  showing  the  children  various 
and  beautiful  forms  of  flowers  and  jewels  to  give  them  in- 
struction, which  they  are  ever  receiving  in  the  sphere  of 
childhood's  home.  So  that  the  child  loses  not  one  lesson, 
although  it  hovers  near  its  mother.  And  then  it  wings  its 
way  back,  so  that  it  is  constantly  and  ever  growing,  as  if 
on  earth,  in  form  and  beauty,  in  wisdom  and  love ;  and 
thus  every  little  spirit-form  is  conducted  by  the  divine 


'     SPIBITUALI8M.  603 

laws  to  the  light  everlasting,  preparing  not  only  its  own 
progression  but  even  that  of  those  on  earth. 

They  are  improving  and  arranging  the  flower-beds,  which 
are  laid  out  with  such  care  that  it  is  no  labor,  but  a  pleasure. 

It  is  not  what  we  would  consider  a  city  of  buildings, 
streets,  courts,  and  alleys,  but  it  is  made  up  of  spirit-forms, 
who  stay  their  allotted  season,  and  are  relieved  by  others 
taking  their  place,  and  go  forward  in  their  sphere  of  use- 
fulness. 

The  children  never  tire,  for  in  every  object  that  the  spirit- 
child  gazes  upon,  it  beholds  beauty  and  intelligence.  It 
does  not  look  around  for  something  to  amuse  the  mind  as 
when  on  earth,  for  every  care  is  taken  by  the  Father  of 
all  that  the  little  cherubs  shall  be  ever  learning  that  it  is  a 
delightful  pleasure  and  no  toilsome  study.  There  is  no 
morning  there,  no  night,  but  one  continued  day,  and  so 
the  time  passes  in  eternity,  as  we  have  tried  to  describe  to 
you,  without  too  much  dazzling  the  mortal  eye.  But  as 
this  glorious  truth  opens  to  the  view  of  mortals,  they  shall 
know  more  of  spirit-laws  and  spirit-life.  It  shall  be  given 
in  such  a  manner  that  all  minds  can  understand  and  appre- 
ciate the  operations  of  the  spirit  on  the  natural  laws,  so 
that  it  shall  not  mar  the  mortal  temple  to  understand  the 
secrets  of  the  immortal  tabernacle  that  is  raised  in  every 
sphere  alter  passing  from  this  terrestrial  existjence. 


604  SPIEITUALISM 


Section  Si^tg-fih. 


West  Roxbury,  Aug.  25,  1854. 

The  circle  again  met,  and  through  me  it  was  said : 

*  I  WAS  again  in  the  legislative  hall  of  that  sphere,  and  my 
spirit-guide,  who,  it  seemed  to  me,  was  Washington,  stand- 
ing by  my  side,  said  to  me : 

You  observe  this  community  is  large  and  numerous. 
The  higher  powers  of  its  government  are  exercised  by  rep- 
resentatives, chosen  from  and  by  the  mass,  but  it  is  di- 
vided into  many  smaller  communities,  and  each  one  of 
them  into  others  smaller  still,  till  they  are  reduced  to 
circles  or  bands  of  from  twenty  to  fifty  each. 

The  whole  community  meets  only  by  its  representatives. 
The  smaller  communities  often  assemble  together  to  receive 
instruction  and  to  deliberate  upon  matters  connected  with 
the  general  welfare. 

Each  one  of  these  communities  has  its  presiding  and 
ministering  spirit,  its  secretaries  to  record  its  proceedings, 
and  its  own  place  of  meeting.  Each  member  of  the  com- 
munities is  not  only  instructed  but  practiced  in  the  art  of 
self-government,  not  only  of  the  community,  but  of  each 
individual  member:  it  laying  at  the  foundation  of  their 
system  of  self-government,  that  each  first  learn  to  govern 
himself,  and  he  who  permits  himself  to  lose  self-control  is 
at  once  deprived,  and  that  by  his  own  consciousness,  of 
the  power  of  interfering  in  the  government  of  others, 
until  a  proper  frame  of  mind  is  restored  to  him. 

This  process  of  purifying  the  governing  body  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  and  important  institutions  that  obtain 
among  them,  and  it  is  exercised  chiefly  by  the  individual 


SPIRITUALISM.  605 

who  is  affected  by  it.  I  say  chiefly,  because  there  are 
times  when  he  is  obliged  to  invoke  and  receive  the  aid  of 
others  in  restoring  his  mind  to  its  proper  bias ;  and  that 
aid  is  given  as  from  brother  to  brother,  and  not  as  from 
ruler  to  subject. 

It  is  attended  with  no  harshness,  has  no  form  of  punish- 
ment, but  is  kind,  gentle,  forbearing,  and  comes  as  aid  to 
the  distressed.  In  communities  as  near  the  mortal  sphere 
as  is  this  which  you  are  now  beholding,  this  purifying  pro- 
cess is  frequently  resorted  to,  and  with  some  one  or  other 
it  is  almost  always  in  exercise.  But  as  you  advance  higher 
it  will  be  less  frequently  seen,  and  gradually  disappear 
until  you  arrive  at  spheres  where  it  is  unknown,  because 
unnecessary.  It  is  frequent  where  you  are  now  looking, 
because  there  lingers  around  tlie  individuals  yet  so  much 
of  mortal  taint  and  earthly  passions.  With  some  it  is  long 
before  that  taint  wears  out,  and  they  who  are  afflicted  with 
it  are  to  their  fellows  objects  of  compassion,  not  of  con- 
demnation, and  instead  of  the  hisses  and  the  yells  of  dis- 
approbation which  you  hear  at  times  in  your  mortal  as- 
semblages, you  will  here  see  the  starting  tear  and  the 
trembling  lip  pervade  a  meeting  at  the  exhibition  of  the 
propensity  which  sets  this  process  in  motion.  And  in  him 
who  offends,  it  is  not  a  feeling  of  anger  that  is  aroused, 
but  emotions  of  shame  and  sorrow  that  he  should  thus 
have  touched  the  hearts  of  the  .brotherhood  around  him. 
The  agony  that  in  his  breast  follows  the  consciousness  of 
error  is  known  to  and  recognized  by  every  one,  and  awak- 
ens in  them  emotions  of  sorrow  alone,  shown  by  the  sym- 
pathy, the  active  comfort  and  consolation  which  are  on  all 
hands  proffered  to  him  in  his  distress. 

On  earth  you  would  call  this  punishment,  but  we  better 
understand  here  that  it  is  the  inevitable  result  of  law, 
which  is  never  violated  by  the  conscious  mind  without 
bringing  suffering  in  its  train.  You  have  in  your  material 
existence  the  same  law,  both  morally  and  physically.  You 
recognize  it  in  its  physical  aspect.    You  know  that  you 


506  SPIRITUALISM. 

can  not  pervert  any  of  your  material  organs  from  their  le- 
gitimate office  without  inflicting  pain.  If  you  thrust  your 
hand  into  the  flame,  it  smarts.  If  you  take  poison  into 
the  stomach,  it  destroys.  If  you  imbibe  that  which  im- 
pairs and  disturbs  the  action  of  the  brain,  you  suffer,  not 
mentally  only,  but  in  your  whole  nervous  system.  Thus, 
in  your  material  being,  you  recognize,  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  your  senses,  that  evil  and  suffering  flow  from 
the  violation  of  the  law  of  your  nature.  Some  of  you  are 
so  far  advanced  as  to  recognize  this  truth  as  equally  appli- 
cable to  your  moral  nature.  With  us  it  becomes  a  self- 
evident  law,  ever  at  work  within  us,  morally  and  phys- 
ically ;  and  one  most  prominent  result  flowing  from  your 
death  is  the  capacity  to  understand  this  law  and  the  causes 
of  its  operation.  Hence,  with  us,  we  require  no  judges  to 
condemn,  no  chains  to  bind,  no  prisons  to  incarcerate  the 
offender.  The  judge  of  the  offense  and  the  executioner  of 
the  law  reside  together  in  the  heart  of  the  convict,  and  in- 
stinctively perform  their  function.  Every  man  is  a  law 
unto  himself.  Man  in  the  spheres,  in  all  the  relations  of 
spirit-life,  bears  about  him  ever  the  avenger  of  broken 
laws ;  whether  he  is  groveling  darkly  amid  the  depraved 
and  unprogressed,  or  is  working  his  toilsome  way  upward, 
he  has  within  himself  the  consciousness  of  violating  the 
laws  of  his  Creator,  and  that  consciousness  works  out  its 
own  task  of  retribution,  and  finally  of  purification.  It 
will  sometimes  start  from  its  course,  and  seem  to  wander 
from  its  proper  path — sometimes  inflicting  suffering  too 
severe  and  enduring,  and  at  other  times  relaxing  its  rule, 
so  as  to  fail  in  producing  a  lasting  impression ;  then  comes 
the  duty  of  the  governing  spirits  to  return  it  to  its  pathway 
and  keep  its  action  within  due  bounds.  This  is  manifested, 
not  merely  in  their  political  relations  with  each  other,  out 
of  which  now  this  lesson  has  flowed  to  you,  but  in  all  the 
relations  of  spirit-life,  and  you  must  readily  perceive  that 
the  happiness  of  our  spirit-life  must  increase  as  we  ad- 
vance beyond  the  reach  of  these  mental  aberrations,  and 


SPIRITUALISM.  507 

must  dimmish  in  proportion  as  we  yield  to  them.  It  is  so 
in  your  life — invariably  so,  however  much  external  or  ap- 
parent prosperity  may  hide  from  your  material  vision  the 
gnawings  of  the  worm  within  ;  and  with  us  the  same  law 
operates  only  the  more  forcibly,  because  of  the  removal 
from  its  operations  of  the  obstacles  which  your  material 
nature  so  often  present. 

Now  you  have  seen  and  have  had  told  to  you  the  great 
principles  which  mark  political  government  in  the  spheres. 
There  is,  however,  one  more  consideration  which  is  not  a 
matter  of  positive  enactment,  but  the  result  of  circum- 
stances with  us  as  with  you  on  earth,  and  that  is,  goodness 
is  rewarded  as  well  as  vice  punished.  That  reward  each 
earns  for  himself.  He  asks  it  not  from  those  around  him  ; 
he  reaches  out  no  hand  for  it  beseechingly  to  his  rulers, 
but  claims  it  as  his  due,  lays  hold  upon  it  as  his  right— 
the  more  certainly  and  the  more  effectively  that  he  is  at 
length  free  from  the  material  appliances  which  on  earth 
so  often  stand  between  virtue  and  its  reward.  Hence  it 
is  that  with  us  we  need  no  judicatory  to  inflict  punishment 
for  error,  or  administer  reward  for  rectitude.  Each  man 
bears  the  court  in  his  own  bosom,  aided  and  supported 
at  times  from  without,  but  always  open  and  at  work 
within. 

Now  look  at  the  executive  department  of  this  govern- 
ment, and  you  will  see  spirits  presiding  over  the  whole 
community,  over  each  division  and  subdivision,  revolving 
each  like  the  stars  of  heaven  in  their  orbits,  marked  out 
for  them  by  the  same  Wisdom  which  has  fashioned  each 
and  started  them  on  their  eternal  path.  You  will  observe 
that  the  great  duty  of  those  presiding  spirits  is  not  so 
much  to  rule  over  as  it  is  to  serve  their  fellows — that  the 
passport  to  those  positions  is  not  so  much  a  capacity  to 
govern  as  it  is  a  willingness  to  serve ;  and  that  the  posi- 
tions are  assumed,  not  so  much  from  the  love  of  power  as 
from  the  desire  to  do  good  to  others.  Hence  you  will  see 
throughout  this  whole  community  spread  out  before  your 


608  SPIRITUALISM. 

view — partially  progressed  only  as  it  is,  and  bearing  about 
it  still  much  of  earthly  taint — that  the  predominant  feeling, 
cultivated  and  existing,  is  the  desire  to  benefit  others,  and 
on 'that  predominance  is  erected  the  happiness  they  enjoy. 
And  you  have  already  seen,  in  your  progress  through  space, 
how  the  prevalence  and  domination  of  that  feeling  have 
made  the  realms  you  have  beheld,  one  above  another,  more 
bright,  more  beauteous,  more  happy,  more  joyous,  so  that 
long  before  you  could  even  in  imagination  approach  the 
gates  of  Heaven,  you  have  beheld  man  enjoying  a  beati- 
tude far  surpassing  what  poets  have  fancied,  or  the  imag- 
ination has  ever  painted,  as  the  happiness  of  Heaven  itself. 
So,  on  the  other  hand,  you  have  beheld,  as  you  have  de- 
scended amid  darkness,  misery,  and  despair,  that  the  ab- 
sence of  this  feeling,  this  disregard  of  law,  has  been  com- 
mensurate with  the  enduring  suffering  you  have  witnessed. 
Now,  child  of  earth  !  pause  thus  on  the  threshold  of  eter- 
nity, and  ask  yourself  if  man  on  earth  is  not  capable  of 
making  his  mortal  existence  an  epitome  of  that  darkness 
on  the  one  side  or  of  that  brightness  on  the  other  ?  If  he 
can  not  drag  up,  on  the  one  hand,  the  seething  caldron  of 
boiling  passion  and  suffering,  or  draw  down,  on  the  other, 
the  realization  of  the  peace  and  happiness  to  which  man 
can  attain  ?  See  !  if,  when  imitating  the  wisdom  of  God, 
in  the  form  of  your  government,  you  can  not  infuse  into  it 
his  principle  of  attraction,  binding  each  member  to  its  place, 
and  thus  making  a  harmonious  whole.  Tell  me  if  wisdom 
shall  thus  speak  from  on  high  to  mortal  ears  in  vain.  Tell 
me  if  the  lesson  of  virtue  and  happiness  which  is  spread 
out  before  you  shall  fall  powerless  upon  the  human  heart  ? 
Tell  me,  will  you  still  seek,  amid  the  shades  below,  for  the 
example  of  your  lives?  Shall  virtue  and  its  rewards,  joy, 
and  wisdom,  and  happiness,  descend  from  the  bright  spheres 
above,  in  vain  on  your  earth  ?  Shall  they  float  over  a  drowned 
world,  and  return  to  the  ark  bearing  no  olive-branch,  indi- 
cating a  subsidence  of  the  flood  ?  Shall  Heaven's  gates  be 
open  toward  earth  in  vain  ?    Shall  its  holy  light  be  yet 


SPIRITUALISM.  .  509 

again  repelled  by  the  darkness  you  yourselves  create  around 
you  ?  Or  are  you,  at  length,  ready  to  plant  in  your  midst 
the  standard  of  his  Almighty  love,  and  rejoice  as  it  un- 
folds itself  to  the  breeze  of  Heaven  ?  Will  you  receive  it 
as  the  brazen  serpent,  erected  in  the  wilderness  of  your 
mortal  propensities,  to  heal  the  sting  of  the  thousand  mor- 
tal reptiles  that  have  followed  your  footsteps  so  long  ? 

Choose  ye  !  for  the  freedom  of  choice  is  yours.  Choose 
ye !  the  road  in  which  you  travel ;  but  in  making  that 
ch6ice,  oh !  my  countrymen  !  remember  that  the  day  once 
was  when  God  shed  abroad  on  your  happy  land  the  be- 
nignant light  of  his  own  freedom — that  he  gave  it  to  you 
in  charge  for  the  benefit  of  mankind — that  the  responsibil- 
ity of  keeping,  of  sustaining,  and  of  fostering  it  rests  upon 
you — and  upon  you  and  your  children,  to  more  than  the 
third  or  fourth  generation,  the  consequences  for  good  or 
evil  must  flow.  Choose  ye  then  wisely  and  well,  and  may 
He  in  His  love  and  mercy  aid  you  to  attain  the  destiny 
that  is  within  your  reach — that  of  being  the  beacon-light 
of  freedom  to  an  enslaved  and  benighted  world ! 


APPEIDIX 


JlppnJri^— Ji. 

Thursday,  July  28,  1853. 

At  the  circle  this  evening  only  three  were  present — the  Doctor,  jNIr.  War- 
ren, and  myself. 

When  we  first  got  together  I  told  them  how  singularly  uncomfortable  I 
had  felt  for  two  or  three  days.  I  had  been  unable  to  feel  the  presence  of 
good  spirits,  except  occasionally,  and  the  rest  of  the  time  my  mind  had  been 
filled  with  doubts  and  fears,  and  once  the  attempt  had  been  made  to  impress 
me  with  the  notion  that  the  withdrawal  of  my  wife's  intercourse  had  been 
produced  by  her  anger  at  having  heard  of  something  I  had  done,  and  to 
awaken  in  me,  in  consequence,  a  feeling  of  resentment,  which  in  former  times 
I  had  been  too  apt  to  indulge  in.  I  had  resisted  that  feeling  as  to  her,  because 
I  knew  better  what  her  feelings  really  were,  and  I  had  looked  upon  it  as  an 
attempt  of  attendant  spirits  to  cure  me  of  a  proneness  to  indulge  such  emotions. 
But  I  had,  notwithstanding,  felt  very  unhappy  and  desponding,  without  any 
visible  cause  for  being  so. 

The  Doctor  soon  began  to  feel  the  spirit-influence.  He  said  it  was  a  novel 
and  unpleasant  one.  I  remarked,  I  supposed  it  was  an  undeveloped  spirit, 
and  if  so,  I  added,  let  him  come,  he  can  do  us  no  harm,  and  we  may  do  him 
some  good. 

After  a  good  deal  of  struggling,  he  wrote  in  large,  coarse  letters  : 

You  are  smart  men.  Don't  you  think  you  will  do  great  things  ? 
Who  are  you,  Judge  E.,  and  who  are  you,  Dr.  D.,  and  what  fool 
is  that  asleep  on  the  lounge  ?     Go  to  the  Devil." 

These  few  words  occupied  a  whole  page,  and  were  written  with  violent  con- 
tortions, and  several  times  the  pencil,  paper,  and  books  were  thrown  at  my 
head  with  great  violence. 


512      ^  APPENDIX. 

At  length,  however,  the  vrriting  was  completed,  and  I  read  it  aloud. 

I  then  said  :  You  have  chosen  of  your  own  accord  to  come  here,  and  now 
you  must  tell  us  who  you  are  and  what  you  have  come  for  ?  This  I  demand  in 
the  name  of  God,  and  you  must  obey. 

The  contortions  and  violence  of  gesture  were  renewed  and  augmented.  The 
books,  paper,  and  pencil  were  repeatedly  thrown  at  me  with  great  violence-: 
his  fist  was  doubled  and  thrust  out  toward  me,  as  if  he  wanted  to  strike  me, 
and  once  or  twice  he  looked  at  me  with  a  concentrated  feeling  of  hate  and 
defiance.  I  sat  by  the  table  opposite  to  the  Doctor,  leaning  my  arms  upon  it, 
looking  him  steadily  in  the  face,  and  saying  to  him  several  times :  It  is  no 
use  struggling.  You  must  obey.  After  some  time,  and  with  many  interrup- 
tions, he  wrote : 

I  have  been  around  and  somewhat  near  you  for  a  day  or  two. 
My  name  is . 

As  soon  as  the  name  was  given  I  recognized  him  as  one  of  the  last  ones 
whom  I  had  tried  for  murder,  and  who  had  been  executed  the  past  winter. 
He  had  been  a  short,  burly  English  sailor,  who  without  any  provocation  had 
cruelly  killed  a  policeman  with  a  cart-rung,  beating  him  with  it  even  after  he 
was  dead. 

I  asked  him  why  he  came  ?    He  answered  : 

I  was  sent  here. 
For  what  purpose  ? 

To  annoy  and  worry  you. 
But  "wasn't  you  sent  here  that  I  might  aid  you  and  do  you  some  good  ? 

No. 
But  can't  I  aid  you  ?    If  I  can  I  will  with  all  my  heart. 

I  don't  know  what  to  say. 
Tell  me  who  sent  you,  and  then  I  can  tell  what  to  do. 

Spirits  opposed  sent  ifte  to  you. 
But  do  you  like  the  society  in  which  you  find  yourself? 

Yes. 

Your  condition  must  be  an  unhappy  one.  Do  you  not  want  to  change  it  for 
a  better  one  ? 

Yes,  if  I  can. 

Well,  now  let  me  try  to  help  you.  I  know  I  can,  and  I  can  invoke  the  aid 
of  others  to  assist,  and  if  you  will  allow  it,  we  will  do  you  some  good. 

Let  me  go  to-night.  I  will  come  to-morrow  night,  and  tell  you 
all  about  it. 

Very  well,  we  will  be  glad  to  see  you  and  talk  with  you  as  long  as  you 
please,  if  we  can  only  do  you  any  good.    But  when  you  come  to-morrow,  will 


APPENDIX.  ,  613 

you  not  come  more  gentle  ?  You  see  how  violently  you  have  used  the  Doctor, 
and  you  can  talk  just  as  well  without  tormenting  him.  Won't  you  do  so  to- 
morrow ? 

Yes. 

Then  good-bye  now,  and  I  reached  out  my  hand,  took  his,  and  shook  it, 
saying,  It  is  the  hand  of  a  friend  and  a  brother.  Come  gently  to-morrow, 
and  you  will  find  us  so. 

Then  he  immediately  left. 

It  was  altogether  a  very  extraordinary  manifestation.  It  was  conducted 
throughout  with  unusual  and  indeed  unknown  violence.  He  took  entire  pos- 
session of  the  Doctor,  not  merely  of  his  arm,  as  others  did,  and  the  Doctor  said 
he  felt  an  almost  uncontrollable  inclination  to  strike  me,  and  to  commit  acts 
of  violence,  and  he  felt  the  controlling  power  of  my  will  over  and  'over  again, 
so  that  after  catching  my  eye  once  or  twice,  he  could  not  again  lift  his  eyes  to 
mine. 

After  the  spirit  left  we  had  the  following  communication  from  Sweedenborg : 

Hark !  my  friends,  and  listen  to  the  strains  of  glorious  harmony 
descending  from  above,  filling  the  lower  spheres  with  music  so 
divine,  that  even  the  earthly  spirits,  dark  and  undeveloped,  yield  to 
its  gentle  soul-subduing  strains,  and  wish  they  too  could  sing  such 
notes  of  joy.  Why  is  this  ?  It  is  because  in  the  conflict  with 
self  a  victory  has  been  achieved,  and  the  mind  prone  to  err  has 
been  brought  to  the  stern  obedience  of  wisdom.  If  you  had  not 
permitted  this  fellow's  interference  he  could  not  have  possessed 
the  Doctor ;  but  it  is  well  it  is  so,  for  in  this  manifestation  you 
learn,  that  even  in  the  spheres  there  are  those  opposed  to  the  de- 
velopment of  truth  and  the  intercourse  of  spirits.  This  is  the  true 
history  I  mentioned  in  my  teachings,  that  spirits  gross  and  mis- 
chievous occasionally  arose  irom  the  dark  spheres,  and  visited  the 
earth.  Here  they  congregate  with  those  undeveloped  spirits  who 
cluster  around  the  earth,  and  finding  that  the  open  and  facile  inter- 
course of  the  higher  spirits  with  those  in  the  form  on  earth,  in 
removing  the  errors  and  mischievous  purposes  of  many  spirits 
belonging  to  this  association,  giving  a  new  direction  to  their 
thoughts  and  aspirations  (and  it  is  the  first  step  toward  progres- 
sion), they  have  contrived  in  various  ways  to  interrupt  our  com- 
munion, and  to  vitiate  the  object  of  our  teachings.  In  fine,  they 
have  tried  all  sorts  of  plans  to  dispossess  us  of  the  affections  of 
our  friends,  and  to  instill  into  their  minds  vague  as  well  as  positive 
suspicions.  Under  this  state  of  things,  they  have  really  organized 
a  direct  opposition  to  our  efforts,  and  have  selected  some  of  the 

33 


5l4  .  APPENDIX. 

shrewdest  of  their  number  to  visit  circles  and  individuals,  and  by 
covertly  and  insidiously  instilling  into  their  minds  unpleasant 
thoughts  about  propriety  of  action,  the  faith  of  spirits,  the  purity 
of  purpose,  and  the  many  secret  motives  known  only  to  their  own 
hearts,  they  thus  strive  to  destroy  what  we  have  built  up. 

This  man  is  one  of  the  number,  and  though  I  knew  he  was  here, 
I  did  not  suspect  him  of  the  intention  of  influencing  the  Doctor  until 
he  had  hold  of  him,  and  the  Judge  expressed  a  wish  to  have  him 
go  on.  With  this  liberty,  he  triecl  to  deceive  you,  but  being  com- 
manded in  the  name  of  God  to  tell  his  name  and  object,  he  was 
compelled  to  tell  the  truth  and  thus  expose  his  designs. 

However,  he  will  come  to-morrow  night  more  gently ;  as  he  has 
left  us  with  an  admonition  from  me,  he  can  not  refuse  to  obey. 

I  can  only  say,  God  is  always  with  us.  Sweedenborg. 

I  here  inquired  whether  our  mode  of  dealing  with  him  had  mollified  his 
feelings  any  ? 
Tt  was  answered : 

[  only  wish  you  could  have  seen  the  countenance  of  that  spirit, 
when  firmly  yet  gently  you  brought  him  to  yield  to  a  higher  will 
than  his  oyrn,  and  too,  when  instead  of  violence  you  so  kindly  de- 
sired to  do  him  good,  and  expressed  that  desire  in  such  a  way 
that  he  knew  it  was  true.  The  spirit  fairly  and  positively  turned 
pale  with  the  powerful  emotion  those  words  of  love  and  hope  pro- 
duced. Yes,  you  have  probably  shortened  his  probatory  state 
many  years  by  your  treatment  of  him  to-night. 

I  inquired  if  during  the  two  or  three  days  that  he  had  been  around  me  my 
wife  had  not  been  with  me,  seeking  to  couiAeract  his  influence,  for  it  seemed 
to  me  that  I  had  several  times  felt  her  presence  ? 

It  was  answered : 

Yes,  Judge,  your  wife.  Bacon,  myself,  and  other  friends  have 
been  with  you.  Mr.  Hopper  has  been  with  you.  Now  this  plan 
was  concerted,  and  they  did  not  know  that,  seeing  their  thoughts 
we  understood  all  that  these  undeveloped  spirits  designed  to  do. 
Thus  when  this  man,  who  hated  you,  was  sent  to  disturb,  etc.,  we 
assembled  around  you,  your  wife  approaching  sometimes  quite  near 
to  comfort  you ;  but  presuming  we  could  draw  out  of  this  evil  pur- 
pose an  eflect  for  good,  by  changing  and  diverting  its  influence, 
we  permitted  him  to  go  on,  but  you  now  see  that  though  you  have 
been  made  quite  uncomfortable,  yet  in  the  good  you  have  done  and 


APPENDIX.  515 

will  do,  you  will  Lave  accomplished  an  object  for  which  years  of 
suffering  are  no  recompense. 

You  will  have  raised  from  bondage  a  spirit  free,  and  opened  to 

his  vision  and  choice  the  eternal  action  of  hope  and  the  immortal 

liberty  of  progression.     Is  this  not  worth  being  annoyed  for  a  day 

or  two  ? 

I  asked :  Shall  we  then  give  him  the  interview  to-morrow  night,  as  pro- 


It  was  answered : 

Yes,  if  agreeable. 

I  should  like  to  have  you  meet  here  again  to-morrow  night,  to 
greet  Mrs.  Dexter,  and  have  Mrs.  Sweet  here  also.  Judge.  I 
would  suggest,  that  if  you  have  time  you  would  see  her,  and  tell 
her  about  this  visitation,  and  have  her  present  to-morrow  night. 
I  think  a  very  great  lesson  can  be  gleaned  from  our  meeting,  and 
joys  unspeakable  to  all.  Good-night, 

SWEEDENBORG. 


Friday,  July  29^A,  1853. 
This  evening  we  met  by  appointment  at  Dr.  Dexter's.    Present,  the  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Dexter,  Mr.  Warren,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sweet,  and  myself. 
The  communication  began  as  follows,  through  the  Doctor  : 

He  is  here,  and  in  quite  a  different  mood  from  last  night.  He 
is  actuated  by  two  opposing  feelings  toward  you.  Judge.  He  is 
vindictive,  and  yet  struggling  with  a  newly-awakened  desire,  of 
which  feeling  he  has  had  no  knowledge  before.  Now,  friends, 
after  he  shall  have  written  through  the  Doctor  an  answer  to  ques- 
tions, I  propose  that,  under  our  direction,  he  manifest  himself 
through  Mrs.  S.  This  was  my  object  last  night,  and  in  so  doing, 
I  think  the  very  nature  of  the  spirit  may  be  probed. ,  -. 

I  bless  you  all,  and  I  earnestly  call  your  attention  to  the  great 
feature  of  this  teaching,  which  is,  that  love,  pure  love,  in  its  effects 
on  the  heart,  of  both  spirit  and  man,  is  the  only  true  incentive  to 
progression.  Sweedenborg. 

It  was  then  written  in  large,  coarse  characters  : 
Now,  what  do  you  want  to-night  ? 


616  APPENDIX. 

I  told  him  that  last  night  he  had  said  that  he  had  been  sent  here  by  those 
opposed,  to  worry  and  annoy  me,  and  had  promised  that  to-night  he  would  teU 
•ps  all  about  it.    He  answered : 

Well.  I  can  talk  better. 

.1  told  him  he  might  talk  to  us  through  Mrs.  S.  if  he  would  be  gentle  with 
her. 

He  said  he  would,  but  then  acted  through  the  Doctor  with  great  violence. 
He  grasped  my  hand,  and  squeezed  it  with  a  violence  that  caused  me  pain  for 
several  hours.*    I  asked  him  why  he  did  so  ?    He  answered  : 

I  don't  know.     I  feel  you  have  injured  me. 

I  told  him  I  was  unconscious  of  having  done  so,  and  he  knew  better  than  I 
did  whether  he  had  been  unjustly  convicted. 

The  effect  this  remark  made  upon  him  was  very  great.  He  immediately 
ceased  his  violence,  and  seemed  to  withdraw  his  influence  from  the  Doctor. 
The  Doctor  said  the  influence  upon  him  was,  that,  whereas  he  had  felt  very 
hot  before,  now  a  cold  chill  ran  all  over  him. 

Sweedenborg  then  wrote : 

The  Spirit  is  silent  and  astonished. 

Now  we  will  permit  him  to  influence  Mrs.  S.  ;  but  we  will 
guard  him,  so  that  he  can  not  do  other  than  gently  to  move  her. 
He  may  say  many  things  undoubtedly  through  her,  but  he  can  not 
disturb  her,  other  than  the  impress  of  an  unprogressed  spirit ;  but 
m  your  efforts  for  truth  and  good,  you  should  not  object  to  come  in 
contact  with  such  a  one. 

Then,  after  a  good  deal  of  a  struggle  he  got  possession  of  Mrs.  S.,  and  for 
more  than  an  hour  talked  to  us  through  her.  I  endeavor  to  give  a  general 
view  only  of  the  manifestation ;  all  its  particulars  would  occupy  too  much 
room.    He  began  by  saying  : 

That  is  damned  hard  work. 

And  after  a  while,  he  said : 

Well,  what  have  you  got  to  say  ? 

I  replied  :  You  said  just  now  that  I  had  injured  you  ? 

So  you  did. 

I  am  not  conscious  of  it.    Wherein  did  I  do  so  ? 

That  is  a  pretty  question  to  ask,  too.  You  had  no  right  to  do 
as  you  done  in  regard  to  me. 

♦  I  did  not  recover  from  the  efifects  for  several  months. 


APPENDIX 


61T 


But  you  were  dealt  with  according  to  the  laws  yon  had  violated. 

Yes,  I  know ;  but  I'd  been  here  yet  but  for  you  and  the  laws. 
Damn  the  laws !     I  liked  the  world,  and  do  yet. 
But  do  you  not  see  something  better  than  this  world,  which  you  can  obtain  ? 

Nothing  I  can  get  at  very  handy.  I  tell  you  what  it  is  :  I  led  a 
jolly  good  life,  and  wasn't  willing  to  leave  it ;  and  I  am  bound 
now  to  stay  and  torment  a  good  many,  you  among  the  rest.  I  was 
happy  enough  when  they  took  me  away. 

But  said  I,  Can  you  not  see  something  before  you  more  attractive  than 
that  ? 

Before  me  ?  My  God,  before  me  !  Thunder !  Do  you  think 
I  look  before  me  ?  No  ;  damned  if  I  do.  I  belong  away  down 
where  it  is  so  dark. 

Mr.  Sweet  asked  him  about  his  childhood.     He  replied : 

What  do  you  know  about  me  when  I  was  a  child  ? 

Nothing,  said  Mr.  Sweet ;  but  I  suppose  that  you  were  then  innocent  and 
happy. 

So  I  was. 
Well,  then,  said  Mr.  S.,  don't  you  want  to  bring  back  those  happy  days  ? 

I  aint  a  fool.  No ;  I  am  not.  As  a  child  I  was  innocent,  but 
I  don't  want  to  be  a  child  again.  I  have  become  a  man,  and  am  a 
man  yet. 

As  he  said  this,  he  arose  and  stood  erect  before  me,  looking  at  me  with  an 
air  of  fierce  defiance. 

I  said.  That  may  be ;  but  do  you  not  want  to  make  your  manhood  as  happy 
as  your  childhood  was  ? 

Don't  I  want  what  I  can't  get  ? 

But  you  can  get  it,  that  I  know. 

Yes ;  you  say  you  do.  You  wouldn't  talk  that  way  with  me 
before — but  now  I'm  a  spirit.  Then  I  was  a  poor  guilty  wretch. 
That's  what  you  done. 

Then  walking  backward  and  forward  before  me,  with  an  impatient  stride, 
he  exclaimed : 

Now  I  am  as  good  as  you,  if  you  are  a  judge. 

Are  you  sure  of  that  ?    At  least,  you  are  not  as  happy. 

That  won't  go  down.     I  was  happy  enough  when  I  lived  here. 


518  APPENDIX. 

and  would  have  been  happy  if  it  had  not  been  for  you.  'Twasn't 
my  fault  I  was  so  bad.  Myself  had  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Did  I 
make  my  character  ?  'Twas  as  much  as  I  could  do  to  get  enough 
to  eat.  'Twasn't  always  I  got  that,  and  then  folks  said  I  stole  ; 
•  and  Idid.     I  say  I  did,  and  would  do  it  again. 

But  surely  such  feelings  can  not  give  you  happiness  ? 

Talk  about  happiness  !     It  is  very  little  I  ever  saw  of  it  yet. 

Seek  it  now,  then,  and  you  can  obtain  it ;  and  I  -will  help  you,  if  I  can  do 
you  any  good. 

If  you  can  do  me  good,  just  do.  Now,  I  tell  you,  I  am  in  a  very 
bad  state.  Oh,  my  blackness  within  !  I  could  do  any  thing  to  be 
revenged  on  man  who  made  me  what  I  am.  Change  the  blackness 
of  my  heart,  my  bad  passions  to  purity  and  goodness  ?     Oh,  no ! 

Mr.  Sweet  asked  him  if  he  could  not  forgive  ? 

Oh,  if  you  only  knew  all  the  injuries  I  have  to  forgive,  you 
would  not  think  it  so  easy. 

I  said,  Forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  others. 

I  knew  that  when  I  was  a  little  boy.  If  I  only  had  the  pure 
heart  I  had  then,  I  would  not  be  here  breathing  revenge  and  de- 
spair. If  you  could  look  around  and  see  my  blackness  compared 
with  the  brightness  of  those  spirits,  you  wouldn't  say  I  could  ever 
be  like  them.  I  am  a  foul  blot  compared  with  them.  I  forgot  all 
the  charity  and  goodness  I  ever  knew.  I  feel  it,  and  see  it,  and 
hate  myself,  my  black,  degraded  myself.  Why  didn't  God  cut  me 
off  years  ago  ?  Why  leave  me  to  become  so  black  a  plague  spot, 
and  in  hell,  too  ?  for  I  am  in  hell.  The  torments  I  endure  are  so 
agonizing  that  I  know  I  am  in  hell.  Would  you  like  to  see  the 
place  I  dwell  in  1 

I  told  him,  No ;  his  description  satisfied  me. 

Thank  your  God  for  that.  I  wouldn't  wish  my  worst  enemy  to 
know  it ;  to  hear  their  cursing  and  wrangling  in  the  fury  of  their 
black  passions,  made  blacker  still  by  indulgence.  Reptile,  as  I 
am,  I  feel  that  I  must  fly  from  that  bad  place,  but  where  to  fly  to? 

Fly  to  the  aid  and  protection  of  the  brighter  spirits  around  you.  See  you 
not  many  here  ? 

Yes ;  hundreds,  hundreds.     Judge  Edmonds,  do  you  think  those 


APPENDIX.  619 

bright  beings  would  touch  me,  covered  as  I  am  with  darkness  and 
iniquity  ?  When  I  touched  them  I  would  leave  a  black  spot  on 
their  bright  robes. 

Fear  not ;  you  can  not  taint  them,  but  they  can  brighten  you.  You  have 
but  earnestly  to  wish  it. 

Yes,  I  see  them  smiling ;  but  they  smile  at  my  filth  and  misery. 
I  may  be  an  object  of  curiosity  to  them.  I  am  out  of  place,  like 
the  man  in  the  play,  and  when  the  curtain  falls,  I  return  to  my  old 

state  again. 

« 
We  told  him  he  need  not  return,  if  he  but  earnestly  prayed  to  be  deliv- 
ered. 

It  is  a  long  time  since  I  prayed.  Many  miles  from  here  is  the 
place  where  I  learned  to  say  a  prayer. 

Who  taught  me  ?     My  mother,  my  mother ! 

Do  you  not  wish  to  see  her  again  ? 

Of  course  I  do  ;  but  I  am  so  far  separated  from  her. 
You  can  diminish  the  distance  if  you  please. 

I  would  T  could  only  believe  it. 

But  look  around  you,  think  of  what  you  have  seen,  and  judge  for  yourself, 
if  it  is  not  so. 

Yes,  yes  ;  I've  seen  many  strange  things  since  I've  been  here 
and  I  have  seeQ  them  led  off  far  away  from  us,  and,  as  we  were 
told,  to  a  better  place. 

Well,  you  ask  and  strive,  and  so  it  may  be  with  you. 

Well,  I  will,  if  I  can.  I  tell  you  what,  I  have  a  friend  who  is 
a  good  deal  better  off  than  I  am.  And  I  believe  he  interceded  for 
me  that  I  might  be  permitted  to  come  here  to  learn  a  lesson.  But 
after  all,  it  is  only  preaching,  and  bad  as  I  am,  I  have  heard  good 
preaching  in  my  day. 

But  I  have,  and  can  have,  no  object  in  misleading  you. 

Well,  I  don't  know  as  you  have ;  I  was  told  you  meant  kindly 
by  me. 

By  whom  ? 

I  was  told  so  by  a  stranger,  who  sent  for,  me  and  brought  me 
here. 


520  APPENDIX. 

Is  he  here  now  ? 

I  haven't  seen  him,  but  should  like  to.  Oh  !  if  any  body  could 
certify  to  me  that  I  should j_not  return  to  that  dismal,  hellish  place 
that  I  left !  You  say,  I  must  pray  to  get  out  of  my  misery  ?  Is 
not  that  the  way  ?  I  don't  want  to  go  back  among  those  vicious, 
miserable  black  devils.  I'm  bad  enough,  but  I  don't  want  to  go 
back  there. 

He  then  fell  upon  his  knees,  and  earnestly  prayed  to  God  and  the  bright 
spirits  not  to  let  him  go  back.    When  he  arose  from  his  knees,  he  said  : 

You  can  tell  me  more  than  I  know,  and  can  assist  others  who 
are  with  me.     You  can  come  nearer  than  the  bright  spirits. 

He  then  paused  a  few  minutes,  and  gazing  intently,  he  said  : 

One  of  them  comes  near  me,  and  says  all  you  have  told  me  is 
true,  and  that  if  I  am  willing  to  like  goodness  and  purity  better 
than  my  wretched  companions  and  evil  passions,  he  will  lend  me 
a  helping  hand.     But  he  can't  get  as  near  as  that  yet. 

Be  patient,  and  persevere.  He  will  come  yet ;  it  is  your  own  will  alone  that 
keeps  them  off. 

Judge,  if  I  only  thought  they  could  come  near  me — if  I  only 
could  get  over  this — ^yes,  yes — this  stubborn  wickedness — could 
only  get  on — they  would  come  near  me.  I  am  stubborn,  I  always 
was.  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  I  never  undertook  any  thing  but  I 
went  through  it. 

Yes,  that  we  know.  Enter,  then,  on  this  work  with  all  your  energy,  and 
see  how  fast  you  will  go. 

Years  ago  I  had  better  feelings,  and  now  see  what  a  man  I  be- 
came, and  what  an  end  I  made  of  it.  Well,  Judge,  you  have  been 
very  patient  with  me,  more  than  I  expected.  I  came  here  with 
all  the  ugly  feelings  I  left  the  earth  with.  But  I  don't  know  as  it 
amounts  to  much  after  all.  But  I  should  like  to  have  people  over- 
look my  faults  and  pity  me.  I  did  not  have  so  bad  a  heart.  But 
they  made  me  mad,  and  I  drank  rum,  and  it  made  me  crazy,  and  I 
went  on  from  bad  to  worse.  No  matter,  that's  over  now.  I  want 
a  friend,  I  want  friends  in  the  spirit-world. 

Look  around  you,  then.    They  are  at  hand  if  you  will  but  merit  their  aid. 

They  brought  me  here  to  hear  a  good  lesson,  and  now  I  could 

profit  by  it,  if  any  body  would  help  me  to  do  what's  right.     I  sup- 


APPENDIX.  531 

pose  I  must  tell  the  truth  here.  I  hate  the  place  I  was  in 
enough,  if  that  is  all.  I  am  tired  of  it,  if  I  could  only  get  rid  of  it. 
I'll  struggle  to  do  so.  He  says  I  need  not  go  back  so  far.  How 
that  eases  me.  You  are  very  kind  to  me.  They  told  me  you  would 
be  so,  but  I  did  not  believe  them.  After  all,  1  am  a  poor,  helpless 
wretch.  I  hope,  Doctor,  you  will  forgive  me  for  my  violence.  I 
came  here  with  revengeful  feelings.  I  wanted  to  let  you  know  1 
had  some  power  as  well  as  the  bright  spirits.  If  you  only  knew 
how  much  better  I  feel  because  I  have  not  to  go  back  there,  it  is 
such  a  dark,  dark  place.  See,  here's  one  coming  close  to  me,  his 
cool  breath  comes  so  pleasantly  across  my  burning  heart.  And  I 
need  not  go  back !  And  how  many  I  have  left  behind  me  ! 
Judge,  they  tell  me  that  if  I  do  right  I  can  go  back  and  bring  them 
up.  Well,  I  will  do  all  I  can.  I  will  be  a  man  yet.  They  say 
they'll  help  me.  Every  body  will  help  me.  I  feel  it  in  my 
heart  that  I  am  not  as  bad  as  I  was.  Well,  that  is  glorious,  and  I 
am  not  dreaming.  I  have  never  had  a  pleasant  dream  since  I 
have  been  in  that  dismal,  gloomy  place.  Oh!  how  pleasant  it 
seems  to  me  to  be  out  of  that  dreadful  place  !  Oh,  these  wise, 
majestic-looking  people  begin  to  smile  upon  me.  They  beckon 
me,  and  speak  kindly  to  me.  How  lovely  it  looks  over  yonder ! 
I  am  getting  ready  to  go  there,  it  is  so  beautiful.  Is  it  a  dream  of 
heaven  ?  I  could  never  dream  of  any  thing  so  beautiful !  When 
I  was  a  child  I  used  to  dream  of  such  things.  But  this  !  Oh! 
this  is  something  real,  and  I  feel  it.  Why,  what  a  calm  light 
seems  to  come  from  that  place  !  O !  bright  spirits,  do  not  let  me 
turn  back,  but  assist  me  to  look  that  way,  that  I  may  go  even 
whence  that  light  comes.  Can  it  be  possible  that  such  a  wretch 
as  I  was,  ever  existed  ?  I  am  not  the  same  person  I  was  when  1 
came  here.  Why,  I  look  different.  The  roughness  that  coverec^ 
me  as  a  garment  is  gone.  I  am  more  refined.  I  feel  so  humble. 
Can  it  be  that  I  am  changed  from  so  loathsome  a  being  to  being  fit 
to  mingle  with  pure  spirits  ?  am  I  so  suddenly  transformed  ? 

Oh !  forget  me.  Judge,  as  the  miserable  being  whom  you  con- 
demned to  death  for  raising  my  hand  against  the  life  of  a  fellow- 
being.  Think  of  me  only  as  the  humble,  the  penitent,  the  grateful 
spirit,  who,  through  your  kind  assistance,  has  come  out  of  the  black- 
ness of  despair  and  death,  and  who  is  now  beginning  to  walk  in  a 
smooth  and  pleasant  path,  with  his  face  toward  the  sun.     Oh !  my 


522  APPENDIX. 

heart  is  very  thankful.     I  humbly  beg  your  pardon  for  any  thing  I 
have  said  amiss. 

I  have  recorHed  his  language  as  if  spoken  without  interruption.  But  it  "was 
not  given  thus.  We  conversed  with  him  all  along  as  in  the  beginning  of  the 
interview.  But  I  have  thought  it  enough  merely  to  record  what  he  said,  as 
thus  the  progress  of  his  mind  can  be  as  well  understood  as  if  I  had  written 
also  what  we  said  to  him. 

There  are  one  or  two  things  which  I  may  mention  here  as  well  as  in  their 
order. 

When  he  was  talking  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  evening,  with  a  revengeful 
air  of  defiance,  Sweedenborg  wrote  through  the  Doctor  : 

Judge,  command  him  to  observe  the  regard  due  to  God  and  to 
the  laws  respecting  man. 

I  did  so,  and  from  that  instant  his  manner  changed. 

He  swore  several  times  at  the  beginning.  By-and-by,  in  one  of  his  fits  of 
impatience,  he  said : 

I  want  to  swear,  but  they  won't  let  me. 

Later  in  the  evening,  he  said  : 

I  had  like  to  have  sworn,  but  I'll  never  swear  again. 

Once,  in  describing  the  horrors  of  his  home,  with  an  intense  look  of  agony, 
he  said  :  that  the  horrible  scene  of  his  death  on  the  gallows  was  ever  before 
his  eyes,  was  painted  there,  and  was  constantly  acted  out  before  him  by  his 
companions  to  amuse  themselves,  and  tiiey  laughed  at  the  agony  it  caused  him 
to  suffer. 

At  length  it  was  written,  through  the  Doctor  : 

Let  him  now  retire.  You  can  call  him  again  some  other  time, 
that  he  may  literally  report  progress. 

I  said  so  to  him ;  and  he  replied  : 

Oh !  yes,  I  have  no  desire  to  stay,  I  am  so  anxious  to  go,  for  I 
s*ee  the  way.  I  was  going  to  ask  permission  to  come  again. 
Good-night.  The  way  before  me  looks  so  bright ;  I  have  left  the 
darkness  all  behind.     I  now  can  see.     I  once  was  blind. 

Then,  through  the  Doctor,  it  was  written  : 

My  friends,  you  have  the  lesson  ;  improve  the  teachings  in  your 
own  cases  and  others.     Good-night. 


APPENDIX.  623 


Jlppttii^— §. 


It  seems  to  me  that  it  would  be  well  to  add  here  the  result  of  my  inquiries 
on  this  same  subject,  at  an  early  stage  of  my  investigations.  I  was  then 
receiving  my  communications  from  the  rappings  and  the  tipping  of  a  table. 

From  my  notes  of  Sept.  8,  1851, 1  first  extract : 

In  order  the  more  clearly  to  understand  your  instructions  on  that  subject 
(death),  I  had  proposed  to  myself  to  ask  you  questions  in  reference  -to  your 
own  death.    May  I  do  so  ? 

Yes. 

What  was  the  last  event  which  you  can  recollect  as  having  occurred  before 
your  death  ? 

I  can  scarcely  tell — death  is  much  like  sleep  in  that  respect. 

Is  there  a  space  of  time  between  the  moment  of  death  and  the  entrance  of 
the  soul  into  the  spiritual  world  ? 

There  is. 

Is  it  perceptible  to  and  recognizable  by  the  one  who  dies  ? 
A  faint  and  doubtful  affirmative  was  given.    The  alphabet  was  called  for, 
and  it  was  said : 

All  bodily  pain  ceases  in  proportion  to  the  nearness  of  the  dis- 
union of  the  body  and  soul. 
Does  all  consciousness  cease  at  the  moment  of  that  disunion  ? 

Yes  ' 

Were  you  conscious  of  Dr.  Gray's  entering  the  room  ? 

Yes. 
What  was  the  first  event  of  which  you  were  conscious  after  the  disunion  ? 

The  first  event  of  which  I  was  conscious  was  that  of  seeing 
you  and  Dr.  Gray  conversing  about  ine. 

Was  that  after  your  entrance  into  the  spiritual  world,  and  seen  by  you  with 
your  spiritual  sight  ? 

I  can  hardly  tell,  but  think  it  was  with  spiritual. 


524  APPENDIX. 

I  remarked  here  in  a  low  tone  to  Dr.  Gray,  who  sat  next  me,  "  that  I  was 
sorry  I  had  entered  upon  the  subject,  that  I  was  afraid  it  gave  her  pain,  as  it 
did  me,  and  I  believed  I  would  cease  my  inquiries.     She  immediately  said  : 

No ;  go  on. 

resumed.    What  event  first  made  you  conscious  of  being  in  the  spiritual 
world  ?  » 

No  particular  event.     I  became  conscious  gradually. 

Was  there  any  suspension  of  your  consciousness  ? 

Yes. 

How  long  did  it  continue  ? 

I  have  no  means  of  telling  how  long. 

What  was  the  event  occurring  here  tf  which  you  were  first  conscious,  after 
you  became  conscious  of  being  in  the  spiritual  world  ? 

It  was  you  and  Dr.  Gray's  entering  the  room  and  conversing 
about  me.  But  I  do  not  know  whether  you  had  before  that 
entered  the  room  or  not,  but  I  think  not. 

Is  the  suspension  of  consciousness  of  the  same  duration  with  all  persons  ? 

It  is  various  with  different  persons,  depending  on  circumstances 
— longer  where  the  death  is  sudden ;  each  one  has  his  own  time. 

How  were  you  received  or  attended  when  you  first  became  conscious  of  your 
being  in  the  spiritual  world  ? 

Five  and  five  only  meet  next  Monday,  and  you,  as  well  as  we, 
will  be  better  prepared  to  continue  this  subject 


September  15th,  1851. 
Five  met  as  directed.    The  alphabet  was  called  for,  and  these  sentences 
spelled  out  letter  by  letter. 

Friends  !  the  bright  and  freedom  day  is  breaking.  Horrid  death 
is  being  revealed  and  demonstrated  to  be  but  a  glorious  birth  ;  the 
gloom  which  now  attends  the  chambers  of  death,  the  stifled  sobs 
and  the  darkened  windows,  shall  ere  long  be  exchanged  for  serene, 
pure,  heavenly  delights  ;  weeping  shall  give  place  to  cheer,  and  the 
pure  zephyrs  of  Heaven  shall  waft  through  open  windows  to  bathe 
the  brow  of  the  toppling  and  almost  deserted  tower.  The  music 
of  the  spheres  above  will  greet  the  senses  of  the  enraptured  inhab- 
itants of  earth.  Then  mournful  lamentations  shall  be  no  more 
known.     Now  in  the   gray  twilight  of  morn,  the  dewdrops  are 


APPENDIX.  525 

descending  almost  insensibly  upon  all  things.  But  the  influence 
of  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun  are  required  to  give  life  thereunto. 
The  dewdrops  are  Truth — the  sun  is  the  Understanding. 

We  paused  for  a  time  for  the  teaching  to  continue,  when  it  was  said : 
Ask  questions. 
What  ones  ? 

Yours,  that  you  have  prepared. 
On  what  topic  ? 
That  of  death. 

I  then  recurred  to  the  "written  questions  on  that  subject  "which  I  had  pre- 
pared in  the  recess.    My  first  one  "was  this : 

I  again  ask  (in  the  hope  that  in  the  interval  your  memory  may  have  been 
refreshed),  "what  "was  the  last  event  occurring  before  the  disunion  of  the  soul 
and  body  "which  you  can  now  remember  ? 

No  answer. 

« 

Do  you  remember  my  lying  on  the  bed  beside  yon  ? 
Yes. 

(I  did  so  lie  till  she  breathed  her  last.) 

Do  you  remember  Laura's  fainting  away  and  our  carrying  her  from  the 
room  ? 
No. 

(When  I  perceived  she  had  ceased  to  breathe— and  I  could  perceive  it  only 
by  putting  my  lips  to  hers — I  said,  *'  She  is  gone."  My  daughters  were  kneel- 
ing by  her  bedside ;  and  as  I  said  this,  Laura  fainted  and  was  borne  from  the 
room.) 

Do  you  remember'Mr.  Houghton's  administering  the  communion  to  you  ? 

No  answer. 

Do  you  remember  your  sight  failing  you  and  your  saying,  "  It  is  growing 
dark,  but  it  is  death,  I  suppose  ?" 

Yes. 

I  then  remarked  to  the  circle,  in  order  that  they  might  comprehend  the 
conversation,  that  these  were  the  last  words  she  had  spoken,  except  a  faintly 
whispered  "  amen"  to  one  of  Mr.  Houghton's  prayers. 

The  alphabet  was  called  for  and  it  was  spelled  out : 
It  was  not  to  his  prayer  that  I  said  Amen,  but  expressing  my 
resignation  to  the  will  of  God  in  taking  me  from  you. 

I  then  asked : 

I  do  not  exactly  understand  whether  your  seeing  Gray  and  me  was  before 
or  after  the  disunion  of  the  soul  and  body.  I  infer  that  it  was  after.  Am  I 
right  ? 


526  APPENDIX. 

William  Penn,  who  was  present  at  the  time  you  allude  to,  says 
you  are  right. 

I  then  remarked  to  the  circle  that  these  answers  enabled  me  to  ascertain 
the  precise  time,  or  very  nearly  so,  that  she  had  remained  unconscious ;  that 
she  remembered  and  had  mentioned  the  last  event  which  did  occur  before  she 
breathed  her  last,  and  the  first  CYent  of  which  she  became  afterward  con- 
scious, and  that  about  one  hour  had  intervened  between  those  two  events. 

I  then  put  several  questions  in  order  to  ascertain,  if  I  could,  how  long  it 
was  that  she  was  thus  becoming  gradually  conscious  of  her  being  in  the 
spiritual  world,  but  I  got  no  answer  except  that  I  understood  her  to  say,  that 
while  undergoing  that  process  she  was  not  conscious  of  what  was  going  on 
here,  and  of  course  could  name  no  events  known  to  me  by  which  I  could 
measure  the  period.    She  added,  however  :  / 

I  was  fully  conscious  of  being  in  the  spiritual  world  at  the 
time  of  the  deposit  of  my  body  in  the  grave. 

Thus  two  events  were  given  me  by  which  I  could  approximate  to  a  result, 
for  I  knew  that  about  forty  hours  had  elapsed  between  the  time  when  Dr. 
Gray  and  I  entered  the  room  and  the  time  of  her  funeral. 

I  proceeded  with  my  inquiries,  and  remarked  how  difficult  it  was  for  me  to 
ask  questions  as  to  what  occurred  in  her  sphere,  upon  her  being  ushered  into 
it,  from  my  having  but  imperfect  ideas  of  the  change  wrought  by  death  ;  but 
I  recurred  to  the  question  I  had  propounded  at  the  last  meeting,  viz. :  How 
were  you  received  or  attended  when  you  first  became  conscious  of  being  in  the 
spirit- world  ?    The  answer  was : 

Ask  questions. 

I  asked,  Which  of  your  friends  there  did  you  first  see  and  recognize  ?  Your 
father  ? 

No. 
Our  children,  and  which  of  them  ? 

Our  children  first  came  to  me  ;  I  recognized  them  at  once  when 
they  came. 

How  did  you  recognize  them  ?  and  in  what  form-did  they  appear  ? 

By  knowledge,  and  not  by  looks.     I  felt  their  presence. 
Were  others  also  present  ? 

Yes. 
Who? 

A  great  many.     Our  children  and  their  circle. 


APPENDIX.  52Y 

I  remarked  that  I  wished  I  knew  how  to  inquire  what  was  said  or  done 
then  ?    It  was  answered : 

When  there  is  more  time  we  will  give  you  a'detailed  account 
of  it. 

Let  me  now,  however,  make  this  inquiry :  Did  you  undergo  any  formal  trial 
and  judgment  for  the  deeds  done  here  ? 

No — very  distinctly  and  decidedly  given.  * 

The  alphabet  was  called  for,  and  it  was  said : 

Friends,  we  must  now  go  to  the  Harraonial  Foli.     Good-night. 


September  22, 1861. 
The  same  circle  again  met. 

I  referred  to  the  word  "  Foli,"  used  the  other  night,  and  inqidred  what  lan- 
guage it  was  ? 

It  was  derived  from  a  sound  used  by  the  Marsanians. 
Marsanians  ?    Pray,  who  and  what  are  they  ? 
Inhabitants  of  the  planet  Mars. 
What  does  the  word  denote  ? 

It  implies  something  which  can  not  be  expressed  in  your  lan- 
guage.    It  is  a  meeting  of  worlds. 
For  what  purpose — worship  or  improvement  ? 
Improvement. 

What  do  you  mean  by  "  worlds  ?" 
Inhabitants  of  other  planets. 
Of  planets,  besides  those  in  our  solar  system  ? 
Yes. 

Some  remarks  were  made  among  us  as  to  who  met — those  who  were  in  har- 
mony with  each  other,  or  all  ?  Mr.  Partridge  inquired  if  all  were  not  harmo- 
nious? 

No. 

Edward  Fowler  said  he  supposed  that  some  had  not  progressed  enough  yet 
to  be  harmonious  with  others  ? 
Yes. 

Dr.  G.  remarked  that  it  would  take  200  or  300  years  yet  before  the  Malays 
or  Fejee  islanders  would  be  as  much  progressed  as  we  were. 


APPENDIX. 

Not  SO  long  as  that,  Doctor. 

I  then  recurred  to  the  topics  at  our  former  meeting,  and  asked  if  I  should 
proceed  with  them"? 

Yes. 

Which  topic?    Death? 
Yes. 

I  then  remarked :  At  our  last  meeting  you  said  that  at  another  time  you 
would  give  us  a  detailed  account  of  the  manner  of  your  reception  in  the  spirit- 
world.    Will  you  do  so  ? 

Yes.     Ask  questions. 

Who.  was  it  besides  your  children  who  met  you  ? 

All  my  friends  from  earth  met  me,  and,  accompanied  by  some 
friends  from  Mars,  as  guides  (they  are  great  travelers),  I  was  con- 
ducted to  the  different  worlds,  and  had  explained  to  me  the  manners 
and  customs  of  the  inhabitants  of  each,  and  the  uses  of  many  of 
their  implements.  ^ 

To  what  end  was  that  done  ? 

To  make  me  become  acquainted  with  the  different  inhabitants  of 
space,  and  enable  me  to  travel  alone. 

Did  you  after  that  travel  alone  ? 

Yes.     I  now  go  where  I  please,  alone,  without  difficulty. 
For  what  purpose  do  you  thus  travel . 

One  purpose  was  to  show  me  the  contrast  that  exists  between 
this  earth  and  its  inhabitants  and  others. 

What  *'  others"  do  you  mean  ? 

Saturn,  for  example ;  thereby  disengaging  my  mind  from  the 
short-sighted  policy  of  earth.  Another  purpose  was  to  enable  me 
to  choose  where  to  go,  and  whom  to  associate  with,  and  to  receive 
superior  instruction. 

To  be  continued.     Good-night. 


September  29, 1851. 
The  same  circle  again  met. 

I  proceeded  to  business  by  calling  attention  to  where  we  left  off,  and  asked 
this  question : 

Can  you  give  me  an  idea  now  long  you  were  thus  occupied  in  surveying  the 


APPENDIX.  (^39 

nniverse  ?    That  is,  how  long  was  it  before  you  got  through  yonr  journey 
through  the  universe  ? 

No,  my  dear  husband.     I  hope  I  may  never  get  through. 

During  your  survey  did  you  still  notice  the  affairs  of  this  earth  ? 

Yes. 

Dr.  Gray  remarked,  he  supposed  that  during  it,  she  was  still  doing  good  to 
others  ? 

Yes. 

I  then  asked  several  questions  together,  thus :  After  that  journey  was  over, 
what  next  occurred  ?  Did  you  settle  down  into  your  destined  position  ?  How 
was  that  pointed  out  to  you  ?  Were  you  permitted  to  select  for  yourself  ?  If 
so,  upon  what  principles  did  you  select  it  ? 

I  have  a  natural  affinity  toward  the  inhabitants  of  Mars,  but 
being  there  much  of  the  time  does  not  prevent  me  from  recognizing 
and  caring  for  what  transpires  on  earth. 

Is  most  of  your  time  spent  in  the  vicinity  of  Mars  ? 

Much  of  it  is. 
Dr.  Gray  remarked :  With  the  spirits  of  that  planet,  you  mean  ? 

Yes. 
More  so,  I  asked,  than  with  the  spirits  of  this  earlii  ? 

Yes. 

Why  is  that  so  ? 

Because  I  am  nearer  their  plane  of  development  than  (hat  of  this 
eaith. 

Is  that  higher  than  ours  ? 

Yes  ;  but  a  great  many  of  the  earth's  inhabitants  have  an  affinity 
for  the  plane  of  Mars. 

Were  you  permitted  yourself  to  choose  that  ? 

Yes — with  marked  emphasis. 
Has  your  position  changed  since  your  entrance  into  the  spirit-world  ? 

Yes,  to  one  higher  circle,  and  partly  to  one  higher  still. 

In  what  circle  are  you  now  P' 

You  will  understand  that  there  are  innumerable  circles  above 
and  below  your  plane.     When  we  speak  of  Circles  No.  1,  No.  2, 

34 


530  APPENDIX. 

etc.,  we  speak  comparatively,  taking  earth's  plane  as  tne  starting- 
point — as  No.  1.  There  are  no  absolute  numbers,  nor  any  abso- 
lute lines  of  demarkation  between  the  different  circles.  The  spirits 
of  a  comparatively  low  plane  can  not  enter  into  the  pleasures  or 
uses  of  those  of  a  higher  plane  here  any  better  than  they  can  there. , 
You  could  perform  the  duties  of  a  street-sweeper,  but  he  could  not 
perform  yours  as  a  judge.     It  is  a  moral  division,  and  voluntary. 

What  has  caused  your  change  ? 

I  have  been  developed,  and  am  making  progress. 

Did  any  ceremony  attend  your  elevation  from  one  circle  to  another  ? 

No.     It  was  gradual. 

Do  you  remain  still  with  those  who  were  your  companions  at  first  ? 

I  partly  change  them  as  I  progress.  Some  do  not  progress  so 
fast,  and  remain  behind.  Some  of  my  old  acquaintances  are  my 
companions  still,  and  our  children  are  in  a  measure  so. 

What  are  your  occupations  ? 

I  am  a  compiler  of  planetary  history,  and  a  teacher  thereof. 
Was  this  selection  of  the  topic  of  your  studies  your  own  choice  ? 

Yes. 
What  induced  the  choice  ? 

It  was  a  favorite  study  of  yours. 

It  was  then  from  your  regard  to  me,  and  to  fit  yourself  to  be  my  companion 
in  the  spirit- world,  that  you  adopted  it  ? 

Yes. 
In  what  does  your  happiness  consist  ? 

Only  in  doing  good  to  fellow-immortals. 
What  do  you  mean  by  immortals  ? 

All  on  earth  and  all  above  it. 
Dr.  Gray  added :  And  below  it  ? 

Yes. 

When  any  one  dies,  is  it  a  duty  of  some  one  or  more  in  the  spirit- world  to 
attend  him  and  lea<J  him  to  what  is  right  ? 

Not  made  a  duty,  but  a  pleasure. 

What  I  mean  is,  is  it  always  done  ? 

Yes. 


APPENDIX.  JSA 


THE   SELF-SATISFIED. 


October  16,  1853. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  Circle  of  Progress,  through  Mrs.  Sweet  the  following 
manifestation  was  made : 

Friends,  I  would  like  to  give  you  the  first  experience  of  a  man 
in  the  spirit-world  who  left  the  form  satisfied  with  himself,  satis- 
fied with  his  prospects  of  heaven,  satisfied  that  his  life  and 
actions  had  entitled  him  to  the  fairest  seat  in  the  land  of  gladness. 
He  lived  a  smooth  and  pleasant  life,  in  conformity  with  all  the 
forms  and  ceremonies  required  of  him  by  the  church  where  he 
paid  his  weekly  worship.  He  gave  alms  to  the  poor,  assisted  the 
needy,  upheld  with  his  means  all  societies  which  seemed  to  be  of 
a  goodly  character.  Thus  he  lived  a  pleasant  and  easy  life,  in 
anticipation  of  a  pleasant  and  easy  entrance  into  the  heaven  which 
his  mind  had  dwelt  upon  as  the  incarnation  of  every  thing  beauti- 
ful and  holy. 

Having  passed  the  shadowy  gates  of  death,  he  supposed  he 
should  be  at  once  taken  on  high,  and  he  stood  waiting  for  some 
one  to  accompany  him  there.  He  was  approached  by  one  whose 
countenance  showed  deep  thought,  high  resolves,  and  mighty 
attainments.  By  him  he  was  welcomed  and  led  upward,  till  they 
came  to  a  strange -looking  country,  and  he  asked  his  companion 
why  it  was  that  it  should  look  so  uncultivated  ?  It  seemed  to  be 
a  beautiful  land,  abounding  in  hills  and  dales,  and  with  diversity 
of  scenery  ;  but  there  was  a  rough  look,  a  want  of  cultivation 
apparent.  Its  inhabitants  seemed  honest  and  industrious,  but  they 
bore  the  same  rough,  unfinished  appearance ;  and  he  asked  why 
every  thing  was  so  crude  ?  His  companion  said  he  would  soon 
explain  it,  but  that  was  to  be  his  home — he  would  become  an 
inhabitant  there.     "But,"  he  added,  "let  us  hasten  on,  I  Lave 


532  APPENDIX. 

much  to  show  and  tell  you ;  but  when  thou  shalt  return  from  our 
journey,  thou  wilt  see  the  propriety  of  what  I  have  said." 

So  they  continued  their  journey  to  countries  smoother  and  more 
highly  cultivated. 

After  a  great  length  of  time  apparently  to  the  stranger— for  he 
was  made  to  see  the  distance  with  mortal  senses — they  arrived  at 
a  beautiful  city..  Now,  indeed,  thought  the  stranger,  I  have  found 
heaven  What  a  glorious  place  it  is !  He  was  led  around  and 
through  the  city.  What  grandeur  and  sublimity  everywhere  met 
his  eye!  How  perfect  and  uniform  every  thing  was!  Spirit- 
hands  alone  could  form  it.  Behold  how  beautiful  the  trees  !  how 
inviting  their  shade !  how  grateful  their  color  !  He  begged  to 
stop  and  lie  down  in  that  shade,  that  he  might  enjoy  the  happiness 
that  everywhere  invited  the  weary  traveler  to  repose  of  mind  and 
body.  But  his  companion  led  him  on.  And  he  gazed  up  into 
the  sky,  where  clear  and  beautiful  seemed  the  pure  vault,  studded 
with  stars  shining  like  gems  of  rare  brilliancy.  There  w^as  such 
an  air  of  repose,  of  heavenly  calm  resting  on  all  things,  he  fain 
would  have  tarried  to  enjoy  its  beauty. 

They  arrived  at  a  land  where  the  broad  and  beautiful  streams 
were  dancing  in  the  moonlight,  and  where  there  seemed  to  be 
sounds  of  music  and  of  joy  constantly  wafted  from  their,  ripple. 
How  gloriously  bright  was  every  thing  there!  A  soft,  silvery 
atmosphere  seemed  to  pervade  it,  clothing  it  in  a  mellow  and  hea- 
venly beauty,  yet  bright  and  clear  as  though  bathed  in  the  light 
of  the  noonday  sun.  Presently  his  ear  caught  the  sound  of  soft 
and  gentle  music.  How  softly  it  fell  on  his  senses,  and  lulled  his 
passions  to  rest,  by  its  purity  elevating  his  soul  to  a  communion 
with  worlds  yet  unknown  beyond  the  stars,  to  a  communion  with 
something  still  higher,  the  great  Fountain  of  purity  and  light,  the 
Center  of  love,  that  great  Divinity  which  fills  the  universe ! 

Then  he  indeed  began  to  feel  as  though  he  was  an  unfit  inhab- 
itant for  that  lovely  place.  He  was  approached  by  several  spirits. 
They  gazed  kindly  upon  him,  yet  as  if  he  was  a  stranger.  They 
did  not  seem  to  recognize  him  as  one  of  themselves,  and  he 
moved  along  with  a  lonely  feeling.  He  noticed  that  all  seemed 
intent  on  some  purpose,  or  were  busy  in  some  errand  of  usefulness 
•  for  their  fellow-beings.  He  seemed  the  only  idle  one.  He  saw, 
alsc^  that  they  were  clothed  in  bright  and  flowing  garments,  which 


APPENDIX.  533 

seemed  to  float  around  them  as  with  a  flood  of  light,  but  which  did 
not  encumber  their  progress,  seeming  to  be  a  part  of  themselves, 
and  making  up  the  form  of  the  spirit.  How  expressive  were  their 
looks,  and  with  how  many  different  emotions ! 

As  the  stranger  passed  along  with  his  companion,  he  said  to 
himself,  "  This  is  truly  a  more  elevated  heaven  than  ever  my  weak 
imagination  could  paint ;  it  is  ten  thousand  times  more  beautiful 
than  my  soul  ever  conceived.  Yet  it  is  no  place  for  me.  I  look 
so  coarse,  so  unlike  every  one  Jiere,  that  my  soul  shrinks  within 
itself,  nor  wishes  to  mingle  where  all  seems  to  bear  the  impress 
of  wisdom  and  elevation  far  beyond  me.  Can  it  be  that  I  am  not 
prepared  for  heaven  ?  How  sad  it  makes  me  feel !  I  thought 
there  was  prepared  for  me  a  mansion  in  the  heavens.  But  the 
more  I  gaze  about  me,  the  more  I  feel  my  unfitness  to  mingle  with 
the  bright  throng — to  inhabit  this  bright  land.  My  soul  seems 
very  small.  Its  coarseness  appalls  me,  and  seems  to  shut  me  out 
from  all  these  vast  and  glorious  scenes.  It  can  not  surely  be  that 
those  who  inhabit  here  ever  possessed  souls  so  narrow  as  mine. 
They  must  be  from  other  planets,  from  other  worlds,  where  wisdom 
has  developed  them.  Their  countenances  are  so  beautiful,  so 
highly  exalted  in  expression — their  tones  are  so  mild^  and  yet  soft 
as  music,  they  seem  to  penetrate  my  soul  like  angels'  voices. 
Their  proportions  are  so  perfect,  their  motions  so  graceful  and 
easy !  Oh !  take  me  back !  Take  me  away  from  this  glorigus 
world,  with  my  dark,  gross  body,  back  to  that  rough  country.  I 
feel  I  belong  no  part  or  parcel  with  these  glorious  beings,  whose 
beauty  sheds  light  on  all  around.  They  can  not  mingle  their 
beauty  with  my  deformity.  Their  purity  overshadows  me,  and 
mingles  not  with  my  grossness.  Lead  me  away ;  I  am  unfit  for 
this  place.  I  entered  it  with  a  proud  and  pleased  and  happy 
heart,  for  I  had  an-  idea  that  the  beauties  of  heaven  were  to  be 
enjoyed  by  me.  How  humbled  I  feel !  How  unfit  I  know  myself 
to  be  to  tarry  around  these  pure  spirits  !" 

The  spirit  who  had  acted  as  his  guide  heard  him  in  silence,  and 
led  him  slowly  back  toward  the  country  which  was  so  rough  and 
uncultivated,  where,  having  arrived,  the  elder  and  more  experi- 
enced spirit  thus  spake  to  his  companion  : 

"  My  son — thou  hast  been  permitted  \o  see  thyself  as  thou  art. 
Thou  canst  judge,  without  being  told,  how  suitable  to  thy  spiritual 


634:  APPENDIX. 

development  would  be  the  country  and  companions  thou  hast  been 
introduced  to.  Thou  canst  see  to  what  a  point  of  development  thy 
spirit  has  reached  in  its  upward  aspirations  after  the  pure  and  holy 
truth  which  comes  from  on  high.  Thy  life  and  education,  if  they 
have  not  led  thee  into  many  great  errors,  have  deprived  thee  of 
many  great  advantages.  Thy  soul  has  been  merely  taught  to  look 
up,  as  the  heathen  does  to  the  Sun,  to  the  Great  Spirit,  and  ask  pro- 
tection, mercy,  and  forbearance.  Thy  prayer  has  been  selfish  in 
many  respects.  Thou  hast  prayed  only  for  good  to  thyself,  and  to 
those  who,  as  thou  thought,  were  like  thyself.  Thou  hast  gone 
through  with  forms  and  ceremonies  in  obedience  to  the  law  of  man. 
Such  puny  laws  never  emanated  from  a  higher  Source.  His  laws 
rule  the  universe,  are  illimitable,  never-ending,  unceasing  and  glo- 
•rious  in  all  their  searching  and  working.  Beginning  with  time,  they 
end  but  with  eternity.  But  thy  soul  was  taught  to  respect  man's 
puerile  laws,  to  give  heed  to  their  teachings,  and  thou  shut  out  from 
it  the  bright  and  glorious  revelation  which  is  open  to  the  inquiring 
and  earnest  heart  of  every  seeker,  who  reaches  up  to  seek  it  at  its 
fount.  Man's  spirit  in  all  ages  and  nations  hath  ever  mounted  up, 
broken  away  from  the  conventionalities  of  customs  and  laws,  and 
has  been  gladdened  by  showers  and  streams  of  glowing  light  and 
beauty  from  the  great  Fountain  itself.  Canst  thou  not  see  where 
thou  wert  a  sluggard,  sleeping  on  a  bed  of  roses — and  while  others 
were  pointing  thy  way  to  heaven,  thou  foundst  it  an  easy  way  ? 
The  goocf  thou  hast  done  shall  be  rewarded.  No-  good  thing  is 
overlooked  by  the  great  Father,  for  goodness  brings  its  own  re- 
ward. Dost  thou  not  feel  how  much  of  heaven  thou  hast  lost  by 
leading  a  sensuous,  material  life — the  life  of  a  happy,  contented 
Christian  as  you  called  it.  The.mind  of  man  should  never  be  con- 
tented to  remain  stationary,  but  be  ever  grasping  for  higher  and 
nobler  things,  ever  untiring,  for  thus  it  will  be  ever  advancing  to 
attain  some  new  idea.  And  now,  my  son,  I  see  that  thou  art  fully 
awake  to  thy  true  position,  and  have  learned  a  profitable  lesson, 
and  I  see  high  and  holy  resolves  budding  forth  within  thee.  Had 
thy  mind  been  opened  before,  had  some  impulse  been  given  thy 
soul,  how  it  might  have  grown  in  wisdom  ! 

"  This  country  is  like  thyself  and  thy  companions.  It  possesses 
every  attribute  of  beauty  and  usefulness,  yet  how  rough  it  seems  ! 
Thou  perceivest  it  has  not  been  made  useful.     Every  thing  is  in 


APPENDIX.  588 

its  first  crude,  unpolished  state.  Even  so  is  thy  heart.  Thy  spir- 
itual body  is  in  just  such  a  position.  All  around  you  have  been 
taught  the  same  lesson,  and  whether  they  have  profited  by  it  thou 
canst  tell  from  their  progress. 

"  And  now  thou  mayest  begin  to  develop  the  spiritual  part  of  thy 
nature,  which  is  so  gross  as  to  disgust  even  thyself.  The  beauti- 
ful country  shown  thee  is  indeed  a  heaven  to  those  who  dwell 
there,  because  their  lives,  the  growth  and  development  of  their 
spirits  have  raised  them  to  that  sphere,  and  thou  likewise  must 
labor  and  progress  as  they  have  done,. until  thou  shalt  attain  to  gifts 
which  have  become  their  heritage. 

"  Think  not  the  glories  and  joys  of  heaven  are  but  formed  to 
please  the  sensuous  eye  of  man,  to  feed  his  appetite  for  ease  and 
comfort.  Think  not  that  the  life  of  the  pure  and  good  is  spent 
only  in  praying  and  praising  God.  Oh,  no  !  The  beatified  and 
purified  spirit  is  one  continual  prayer,  a  never-ending  adoration  of 
the  Majesty  of  the  Most  High ;  but  there  are  other  duties  and  ob- 
jects. The  immortal  soul  has  other  work  than  singing  and  pray- 
ing forever.  It  has  a  grand  labor  to  perform,  which  begins  with 
its  entrance  to  the  spirit-world,  carries  it  from  one  stage  of  prog- 
ress and  perfection  to  another,  until  it  becomes  pure  and  beautiful, 
and  divested  of  all  earthly  grossness  and  passion,  and  approaches 
nearer  the  great  Center  of  light  and  universal  love. 

"  Oh !  it  is  a  mysterious  and  glorious  life  which  the  immortal 
spirit  enters  on'  when  freed  from  its  earthly  body !" 

And  now  what  grand  ahd  beautiful  thoughts  arose  in  the  mind 
of  that  spirit !  He  exclaimed,  "  Oh  !  my  life  was  indeed  a  short 
dream,  even  a  dream  without  one  pleasant  vision,  save  a  heaven 
of  ease.  But  now  I  begin  to  realize  I  am  indeed  an  immortal  soul, 
one  who  by  his  own  efibrts  must  rise,  learn,  walk,  labor,  and  work 
out  his  own  salvation.  I  now  feel  that  I  have  indeed  an  inherit- 
ance in  the  skies,  incorruptible,  which  will  be  mine,  but  I  must 
labor  to  attain  it. 

"  How  pleasant  will  seem  that  labor,  and  how  thankful  my  spirit 
feels  even  now,  that  I  am  not  obliged  to  mingle  with  the  dark  and 
unprogressed  minds  that  annoyed  me  on  earth  !  I  have  great  du- 
ties to  perform,  great  lessons  to  learn.  Oh  !  what  a  field  there  is 
before  me — what  a  land  of  promise,  glowing  with  immortal  light, 
immortal  reward,  and  a  glorious  certainty  of  attaining  what  I  labor 


536  APPENDIX. 

for.  Could  I  return,  I  would  speak  in  tones  of  thunder  to  earth. 
I  would  bid  them  throw  oft'  the  shackles  which  have  so  long  bound 
them  to  earth  as  beasts  of  burden.  I  would  bid  them  soar  with 
me  into  realms  of  space  and  light,  to  be  free  and  glad  in  their 
boundless  liberty,  and  laugh  with  joy  as  little  children,  because  of 
their  new-found  happiness. 

"  Oh !  heaven  is  near,  and  yet  far  away.  It  is  in  the  human 
heart,  where  light  from  heaven  flows,  but  the  actual  heaven  is  far 
distant  from  this  gross  and  darkened  body  of  sense  and  matter,  as 
far  off*  in  its  majesty  and  purity  and  glory  from  sight,  as  the  far- 
therest  star  the  eye  can  see — the  fartherest  flight  of  imagination. 
Purify  yourselves  then,  prepare  to  enjoy  that  beautiful  country,  and 
your  lives  shall  be  an  unending  hymn  of  thankfulness  and  joy  to 
your  Father  in  heaven." 


THE  ARCHITECTURE  OF  THE  SPIRITUAL  SPHERES. 

GIVEN    THROUGH    OWEN    6.    WARREN. 

[Mr.  Warren,  who  is  by  profession  an  architect,  and  who  has  been  a  member 
of  our  circle  from  the  beginning,  was,  during  the  summer  of  1854,  partially 
developed  as  a  seeing  medium.  He  is  alone  when  he  sees,  and  the  objects 
which  he  beholds  agree  so  well  with  what  is  seen  by  other  members  of  the  cir- 
cle, that  the  corroboration  was  deemed  valuable  enough  to  warrant  him  in 
writing  out  a  portion  of  his  experience,  which  he  has  done  in  the  following 
paper.] 

In  answer  to  a  request  which  I  made  to  certain  spirit-friends, 
that  they  would  show  me  scenes  and  buildings  actually  existing  in 
the  spirit- worlds,  I  was  on  many  diflerent  occasions  put  under 
spirit-influence,  in  order  to  show  me  that  which  I  had  desired  to 
see. 

The  visions  presented  were  numerous  and  varied,  the  prominent 


APPENDIX.  58T 

object  being  generally  some  building,  the  arcnitecture  of  which  I 
was  called  to  notice.  In  every  instance  the  scenes  were  unlike 
any  thing  I  have  ever  seen,  or  could  have  imagined ;  for  though 
they  corresponded  in  general  to  things  upon  earth,  yet  in  all  cases 
they  were  distinctively  different,  embodying  to  me  new  and  strange 
ideas. 

The  series  of  visions  here  described  was  preceded  by  the  in- 
formation, spelled  out,  that  my  friends  would  be  assisted  by  Kotze- 
BUE  in  their  efforts  to  represent  the  architectural  examples ;  and 
as  an  introduction  to  him,  I  was  shown  his  face  and  figure  as  he 
now  is,  and  then,  to  indicate  portions  of  his  history  on  earth,  he 
was  shown  to  me  in  his  youth  or  middle  age,  mounted  upon  a 
horse,  and  wearing  the  military  costume  of  a  Prussian  officer. 
Then  followed  a  scene  in  which  there  was  a  large  number  mounted, 
constituting  the  staff  of  a  commanding  officer. 

A  public  building  was  shown  to  me,  apparently  constructed 
of  gray  stone.  It  was  square,  each  side  being  about  eighty  feet. 
At  the  four  corners  were  buttresses,  surmounted  by  crocheted  pin- 
nacles. It  was  four  stories  high,  with  wide  windows  of  a  Gothic 
pattern,  the  jambs  splayed,  and  the  opening  crowned  with  a  four- 
centered  arch.  There  was  a  hip  roof,  quite  high,  giving  the  whole 
a  pyramidal  effect. 

I  saw  a  dwelling-house  which  appeared  to  be  constructed  of 
iron.  The  supports  were  slight  and  simple.  The  sides  were 
made  of  a  sort  of  lattice-work  of  iron,  as  it  were  of  hoop  iron, 
crossed,  leaving  the  meshes  about  six  inches  square.  Vines  and 
flowers  were  trained  upon  the  building.  The  inner  part  of  the 
walls  was  made  secure  by  some  filling  in. 

A  square  dwelling-house  was  shown  to  me,  apparently  made  of 
wood.  The  four  sides  inclined  in,  so  that  the  windows  of  the 
three  stories,  being  flush  with  the  sides  of  the  building  at  the  sills, 
stood  out  at  the  top  like  dormer  windows. 

A  row  of  laborers'  cottages  was  shown  me.  They  were  white, 
one  story  and  a  half  high — gables  to  the  street — two  windows 
reaching  to  the  ground,  one  of  which  served  for  a  door,  and  an  up- 
per window  in  the  gable.  The  whole  plan  seemed  to  bo  ten  by 
fifteen  feet. 

I  saw  a  cottage  ornee,  built  of  polished  marble,  of  the  collegiate 
Gothic  style.     It  was  an  indistinct  vision,  but  the  general  impres- 


638  APPENDIX. 

sion  I  had  was  that  of  an  extensive  dwelling,  very  beautiful  and 
very  picturesque.  I  saw  near  it  a  plant  somewhat  resembling  the 
variegated  century  plant  (Agave  Americana),  but  the  stem  was 
larger,  and  imbricated  in  a  peculiar  manner. 

I  saw  a  Roman  Catholic  cathedral  of  large  dimensions.  It  was 
of  Gothic  design,  of  the  general  character  of  the  Strasburg.  The 
material  of  the  external  was  very  rich.  I  noticed  particularly  one 
of  the  spires.  It  was  faced  with  blue  enamel.  The  four  angles 
of  it  had,  in  place  of  crochets,  foliated  ornaments  of  gold,  very 
elaborate — a  sort  of  wreath  of  leaves  pointing  upward.  The  upper 
portion  of  the  spire  was  of  a  similar  character,  wearing  the  general 
appearance  of  the  stem  of  the  palm,  except  that  it  was  more  openly 
imbricated.  Upon  this  sat  a  golden  cross,  of  Gothic  pattern,  very 
elaborately  cut. 

The  interior  of  the  cathedral  seemed  more  extensive  and  grand 
than  that  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome.  It  was  rich  in  sculpture  and 
decoration  beyond  the  power  of  language  to  express.  It  had  a  nave 
and  aisles,  and  a  clerestory,  with  choir  and  chancel.  The  chancel 
window,  of  stained  glass,  was  of  extraordinary  dimensions,  and 
richer  in  color  than  words  can  describe.  The  stairs  leading  to 
the  pulpit  and  the  drum  or  sounding-board  above  it  were  miracles 
of  high  art  in  carving.  They  were  of  a  rich  wood,'  not  so  dark  as 
ebony,  but  darker  than  rose  wood,  I  have  never  seen  any  work 
so  elaborate,  nor  ever  imagined  any  thing  equal  to  it.  Upon  the 
rail  of  the  balustrade  was  a  spiral  (like  another  rail  wound  in 
corkscrew  form)  that  ran  from  the  newel  to  the  top.  The  rich- 
ness of  this  work  excited  my  wonder.  I  have  omitted  to  say 
that  upon  the  four  sides  of  the  spire  that  I  examined,  there  were 
mosaics  in  oval  and  lozenge-shaped  frames — the  frames  of  gold 
leaf-work,  like  the  angles. 

I  saw  a  temple  to  science  and  art,  of  Corinthian  order,  cruciform 
in  plan,  with  a  large  dome  in  the  center.  The  dome  was  hemi- 
spherical. There  seemed  to  be  a  central  square  building,  crowned 
by  the  dome,  and  having  a  species  of  low  towers  at  the  corners  ; 
and  then,  extending  from  the  four  sides  of  this,  were  peristyle  tem- 
ples. The  whole  had  a  pyramidal  effect  from  the  size  of  the  dome 
and  the  mass  of  the  central  building.  The  temple  seemed  to  be 
the  center  and  crowning  glory  of  a  vast  space  where  the  arts  of 
landscape   gardening  and  architecture  had  combined  to  create  a 


APPENDIX.  589 

scene  of  sublime  beauty,  of  which  my  language  could  convey  no 
idea. 

I  saw  a  series  of  pretty  cottages,  of  many  beautiful  styles.  I 
noted  most  those  which  were  new  to  me  in  character.  I  noticed 
that  one  was  built  of  rubble  in  pretty  large  stones.  The  stones 
were  as  irregular  in  their  outward  projection  as  possible,  having  no 
appearance  of  art.  Some  stuck  out  of  the  wall  like  a  bushel  bas- 
ket ;  others  were 'sunken  in  ;  all  were  jagged  and  different.  The 
jambs  of  the  openings  were  clean  cut  and  regular.    - 

In  a  beautiful  grove,  where  all  the  ground  was  close-shaven 
grass,  a  road  wound  along,  apparently  much  traveled  by  horses  and 
equipages.  In  an  opening,  upon  a  sunny  slope,  I  saw  a  cottage 
of  peculiar  character.  It  was  a  story  and  a  half  high,  of  English 
style — a  semi-Gothic.  It  was  covered  upon  the  sides  and  roof 
with  green  moss.  Every  part  was  a  vivid  emerald  green.  I  saw 
the  four  sides,  which  were  all  different,  and  liked  the  design  much. 

I  saw  the  pleasure  grounds  of  a  gentleman's  estate — a  landscape 
garden  of  the  most  magnificent  proportions.  Every  possible  vari- 
ety of  .form  and  color  seemed  represented  in  the  different  depart- 
ments. Vast  clumps  of  trees  of  well-contrasted  foliage,  alternated 
with  lawns  and  isolated  trees  of  beautiful  figures.  Beds  of  flowers 
in  geometrical  forms  were  interspersed,  and  canals  or  water-courses 
meandered  among  them.  A  lake  seemed  covered  with  aquatic 
plants  and  flowers,  and  a  fountain  rose  to  a  grand  height,  scattering 
far  and  wide  its  shower  of  spray.  Fruits  of  rare  form  tempted  my 
sight,  and  flowers  were  everywhere  in  profusion.  I  have  never 
imagined  a  scene  of  such  heavenly  beauty. 

A  fence  that  surrounded  a  garden  of  flowers  took  my  attention  in 
another  view.  It  appeared  to  be,  not  a  fence,  but  a  row  of  beauti- 
ful plants  growing  as  a  border,  crowned  at  the  top  with  flowers. 

I  saw  a  building  whose  general  character  was  that  of  an  extens- 
ive warehouse.  I  was  shown  the  interior,  and  it  was  full  of 
goods,  lying  upon  shelves  and  counters.  There  were  rolls  of 
cloths,  flannels,  silks,  velvets,  muslins,  etc.,  in  endless  profusion 
and  variety.  My  attention  was  specially  called  to  a  quantity  of 
ladies'  shoes,  and  I  was  made  to  inspect  them  narrowly.  They 
differed  in  no  respect  from  the  morocco  slippers  I  have  often  seen. 
I  was  made  to  observe  that  the  soles  were  of  leather,  and  a  little 
thicker  than  usual. 


54^  APPENDIX. 

I  saw  a  vast  extent  of  country  like  a  prairie,  and  near  me  was 
the  track  cf  a  railroad.  While  I  looked,  a  train  of  cars  approached 
with  terrific 'speed,  and  passed.  The  locomotive  was  in  the  form 
of  two  gigantic  white  horses,  whose  forms  concealed  all  the  works 
of  the  engine. 

I  found  myself  looking  down  upon  the  deck  of  a  ship.  I  noticed 
the  windlass,  which  was  of  the  common  form.  I  then  saw  the 
vessel  at  a  distance  upon  the  water.  It  was  a  barque  of  elegant 
proportions.  She  approached  near  to  me,  and  I  saw  that  the  bow 
was  remarkably  sharp. 

When  all  these  things  had  been  seen  and  examined  minutely, 
the  spirit-relative  who  had  caused  them  to  be  shown  to  me  (that  is, 
had  brought  the  spirit  who  had  done  so),  affixed,  as  it  were,  her 
signature  to  the  series  of  views.  I  saw  placed  before  me  a  tablet, 
on  which  was  written  her  name. 

On  other  occasions  there  have  been  presented  to  me  other  kinds 
of  structures.  On  one  occasion  I  was  shown  a  small  private  gar- 
den, along  a  wall  of  which  were  trained  grape  vines,  very  thickly 
covered  with  light-purple  grapes  of  the  form  of  the  Malaga  variety. 
Many  other  kinds  of  fruits  were  there,  but  I  did  not  know  any 
names  for  them,  nor  could  I  describe  them.  One  kind  looked 
something  like  a  pear,  but  was  evidently  something  very  different. 
The  stem  was  about  six  inches  long,  and  there  were  four  leaves  at 
the  foot,  forming  a  cup.  In.  this  garden,  which  was  also  richly 
embellished  with  rare  flowers  and  laid  out  with  regularity,  there 
was  a  summer-house  of  peculiar  character.  It  was  circular  on  the 
plan,  about  twelve  feet  in  width.  It  had  four  circular  pillars,  which 
supported  a  dome-like  roof,  the  eaves  of  which  projected  some  two 
feet  and  curved  upward.  On  the  under  side  of  this  cornice  or 
,turned-up  roof  was  ornamental  painting,  not  unlike  in  character  the 
painting  seen  »on  the  antique  Etruscan  vases.  The  colors,  too, 
were  similar.  The  pillars  were  decorated  with  ornamental  figures 
of  the  same  general  character.  At  the  time  I  saw  this  summer- 
house  there  was  shown  to  me  a  school-house.  It  was  a  Gothic 
building,  two  stories  high,  made  of  a  yellowish  brown  sandstone. 
I  saw  only  the  exterior.     It  was  not  remarkable  for  size  or  beauty. 

I  was  shown  the  interior  of  a  conservatory,  seemingly  all  made 
of  glass  ;  on  sides  and  upper  part  were  trained  a  variety  of  vines. 

The  trees  which  I  saw  surrounding  the  various  buildings— of 


APPENDIX.  6M 

which  I  examined  minutely  at  least  a  hundred — were  all  different 
from  any  I  have  seen  upon  earth,  both  in  foliage  and  flowers,  and 
still  more  in  the  general  character.  All  were,  as  a  rule,  more 
beautiful  than  I  could  have  imagined.  One  tree  had  leaves  which 
seemed  convoluted  like  those  of  a  species  of  Malvus,  only  it  was 
more  compact.  I  have  seen  also  as  large  a  variety  of  flowers  as 
of  trees,  and  have  made  drawings  of  some  of  them.  Amid  all  the 
trees  and  flowers,  I  have  not  seen  one  specimen  which  could  be 
classified  with  the  Flora  of  Earth. 

Of  the  fruits,  I  saw  none  resembling  any  I  have  seen  on  earth, 
except  the  grapes,  which  were  shown  to  me  in  great  numbers,  not 
differing  essentially  from  many  kinds  here. 

Having  often  requested  my  sister  to  show  me  her  residence,  I 
at  length  obtained  several  views  of  it.  It  was  in  extent  a  suburban 
villa,  with  the  character  of  a  cottage  ornie.  It  was  of  an  oriental 
style  of  architecture,  something  between  Saracenic  and  the  florid 
Gothic.  It  had  high  verandas  on  two  sides.  There  were  also 
balconies  of  various  styles.  There  was  a  light  and  airy  appear- 
ance to  the  construction  of  the  verandas,  they  being  made  of  orna- 
mental wire-work,  over  which  climbing  plants  were  trained. 

I  was  shown  the  interior  of  the  house,  but  saw  it  indistinctly.  I 
noticed  a  clock  hanging  upon  the  wall.  I  saw  in  the  drawing-room 
the  hearth  of  the  fireplace,  which  was  of  a  variegated  marble, 
black  and  white,  and  very  beautiful.-  The  heaKh-rug  was  a  rich 
piece  of  work,  very  similar  in  character  to  the  velvet  tapestry  or 
Axminster  rugs.  The  floor  had  no  carpet.  I  was  told  that  it  was 
removed  because  it  was  the  summer  season  with  them.  I  saw  an 
embroidered  screen,  and  an  ottoman  covered  with  elaborate  em- 
broidery. 

The  general  effect  of  what  I  saw  was  not  unlike  that  of  houses 
on  earth.  The  arrangement  of  the  furniture  was  similar  to  that 
found  in  first-class  houses  here.  I  was  promised  a  more  complete 
exhibition  of  all  these  things. 

After  I  had  seen  and  examined  the  various  parts  of  the  house 
shown  to  me,  my  sister  opened  a  wardrobe  and  showed  me  her 
dresses.  There  was  quite  a  variety  of  them.  They  seemed 
chiefly  of  silk.  I  noticed  one  dress  that  was  evidently  a  special 
costume.     It  seemed  Persian  or  Turkish. 

I  was  then  shown  her  husband's  wardrobe.     I  found  that  it  did 


S43 


APPENDIX. 


not  differ  in  any  essential  particular  from  the  clothing  worn  by 
gentlemen  here.  I  noticed  one  vest  that  pleased  me.  It  was  of 
the  form  now  worn  here — double-breasted.  It  was  of  velvet, 
beautifully  figured,  black  and  purple. 

Other  articles  of  clothing  were  shown  me  which  I  can  not  par- 
ticularize. I  asked  if  she  would  show  me  the  plant  of  which  they 
made  linen,  or  that  which  corresponded  to  our  linen.  She  showed 
me  a  plant  about  two  feet  high.  (Leaves  lanceolate,  acute,  branch- 
ing at  top  into  six  or  seven  flower  stalks,  upon  which  were  yellow 
flowers.  Calyx  deep  and  ribbed,  petals  collapsed  and  convoluted. 
Its  common  name  is  Socelcia.) 


<v- 


^:B^i? 


OP   TSSl 


i^3 


^nrtrftge  K  3Jrittnti's  ^jiirittml  Cihrnq. 


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14  DAY  USE 

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EDliatlON-PSYCHOLOGY 

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SESSIONS 


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